Holt loves to play baseball, and he’s played for many coaches throughout the years. Once when he was playing on a traveling baseball team, he played for a coach who truly believed that “Winning is everything.”  After a long weekend of playing in a tournament, Holt’s team finished a little short and got second place. I think only a couple of runs made the difference in the championship game as it came down to the final inning. All the boys really tried to do their best but just couldn’t pull it out. After the trophies were handed out, the coach of his team said, “Boys, I can tell you what to do with your second place trophy. You can take it and play Pepper with it because that’s all it’s good for!” In other words he was saying, “That second place trophy is good for nothing but smashing into pieces; you guys didn’t win and that’s all that matters.”

That incident made me mad years ago when it happened, but it even bothers me more today. The sad thing is that a lot of people have this same type of mentality. If you don’t win and finish first, you are a loser. The world tells us that “Winning is everything” and so many believe it.

As I sat in church this morning, I could see my younger son sitting a few rows in front of me. During one of the songs, I looked at him and started thinking about what I want for him in life.  I want him to be a man who loves Jesus more than anything and obeys His Word. I want him to find God’s purpose for his life… whatever that might be. I want him to be a Christian example for his classmates, friends, and others. Someday I want him to be a devoted husband and a loving father who teaches his children about Jesus. I want him to be happy and healthy. I want him to never really die but live forever with God and our loved ones in heaven. Not that I am a perfect parent by any means, but NOTHING that entered my mind at that moment had anything to do with any sport that he plays, a championship title, popularity, making perfect grades, getting a particular job, making a lot of money, or having a position of power.  In the world’s view, the things I want for him don’t sound much like success, yet everything I thought about had to do with God’s view of winning.

The Bible says in Acts 20:24, “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me- the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” It seems like we think we are all running a race against one other or maybe another team, but in actuality we are each running our own individual race. God has given each person a special task or purpose, and winning means that we are completing that task and giving Him our award. Asking that God’s name be written on the trophy rather than our own.

Many of the trophies that we work so hard to win in life are worthless to God because they have nothing to do with the task that He has given us to do. The sad truth is that there are trophies in cases all over this world that God could use to play Pepper with if He wanted to. I pray God helps me keep His view of winning and not be persuaded by the world. Anything less than fulfilling God’s purpose for your life truly is losing…..no matter what the scoreboard says.