Winning feels great! Scoring that deciding goal; being first across the line and beating everyone else in the field. What a rush!
Picture it! The crowd is on their feet, screaming their support and willing you on in your bid to win! What can beat that?
As much as winning on the sports field is a thrill, for many of us, being victorious on the world’s stage at some great event – like the World Cup – is not our reality. In the day to day of normal life, winning looks a little different from taking home the gold but let’s not kid ourselves, winning at the game of life can be just as sweet!!
But what does winning in life actually mean?
“I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of, so they can see that it’s not the answer.” – Jim Carrey
In 2017, Jim Carrey’s estimated worth was somewhere in the region of $150 million US dollars. In many circles, have that many zeros at your disposal would be classed as ‘winning’ and yet, according to Jim all the fame and money he’s attained during his career are not quite as satisfying as your average person would imagine. If he’s right, and ‘winning’ isn’t about how many cars you own, how large your house is or what’s in your bank account, what is winning in real life?
You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough. —Mae West
There are many things that make life ‘better’. Great relationships matter. Being able to care for your family and those around you matters. Having food on the table and roof over your head matters. Contributing to this world and hopefully leaving it a bit better than when you arrived matters! But all of these things are as easy to lose as they are to gain in the first place. People will let you down, even when they don’t intend to. Situations change, and hard times can affect us all. If winning is all about what you have, whether its relationship, finances or material possession your victory in life will always be tainted by a feeling of fragility. But imagine having something in life that’s more precious than anything else you can think of but that is yours and can never be lost or damaged or spoilt.
The Bible talks about the fact that NOTHING can take us away from God’s love. It’s constant. We can’t lessen it or change it in any way. It’s strong, it’s freely given and it’s unconditional. Whether you acknowledge God or not, He loves you and has given you His love in the person of Jesus. Jesus wasn’t just a good man or a wise teacher, His life, and death was the one thing that could restore the broken connection between the human race and their Creator.
It was once said that ‘He who has the most toys wins’, but the truth is that nothing compares with knowing that your life is valued by God and walking this journey, with Jesus by your side. Everything else is a bonus but true winning is found in a relationship with God.