I don't want to be a loser

Last week there was an exciting football game being played in our front yard. All of my boys, the neighbor boys and several dads were participating in this fun Sunday afternoon game. I was inside working at my computer when I heard this loud scream and I thought for sure that someone was very hurt. I went running for the door to find Bryson coming into the garage, screaming and crying. He was mad. Brad followed him in and had Bryson go to our bedroom. Brad explained that Bryson was mad because his team had lost the game.

One area that Bryson struggles in sometimes is getting mad when things do not go his way and he can become loud, crying and somewhat violent at times. This was one of those times. Brad really debated on how to handle this situation and finally went into the bedroom to talk to Bryson. Brad explained that in sports, there is always a team that loses. He used the illustration of how Peyton Manning responded after he lost the Super Bowl. Brad continued talking about good sportsmanship and how no one likes to lose but it is how we handle ourselves that is important. Bryson stopped crying and said “but dad I don’t want to be a loser (and did the L loser sign on his forehead), I want to be a winner.” Brad said he had to contain his laugh, but it also hit hard.

It tugged at my mother heart string when Brad first told me this story. Did Bryson know he is different? Does he think he is a loser in life? The more I have thought about it the more I am sure it is a message we can all learn from. We all want to be winners, and the world’s standards of a winner are based on how smart we are, on our performance, how we look, how much money we have and the list goes on. Most times when we take a survey of ourselves by these standards we end up short and feel like a loser. But what is the truth, what is the truth of God’s Word? Psalm 139:13-16 states: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Also if we look at Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

What beautiful words; God created us, knitted us together, He made us wonderful, He has great plans for our future to prosper us and not to harm. Those are not words spoken to a loser, those are words spoken to a winner. We need to hang on to these words when we look at ourselves, not at the world’s standards. None of us want to be losers and none of us are, we are all winners in God’s eyes and that is the message we have to continually tell ourselves and our children. God loves us and with God on our team we will win every time!!!