The Art Of Losing

 In our culture today there is so much thought given to winning. We have participation trophies for our children so nobody loses or has to feel a loss.  I stumbled on this by accident in a recent post on this blog and I keep coming back to it and adding more thoughts to losing. I have a Grandson, age 11,  that lost his mother age 34 a few months back. It is a loss few 11-year-olds will experience.  Why did God allow this to happen? Are we doing the wrong thing in our society to concentrate on winning? Our President in his campaigning has talked about winning and winning and now we believe he lost the election by fraud. It hurts to lose, and it doesn't matter if it is my Grandson losing his mother at such a young age or a President that has lost a political campaign that we were so sure he would win. To make it worse we believe he lost by fraud. The other side has been so angry at losing in 2016, they have fought this good President for four years every step of the way.  It hurts to lose. In looking at GOOGLE I found a site that gave 32 dirty tricks at winning an argument. I wonder how many marriages have been destroyed by people who knew how to win an argument? This hits close to home for a man that has been divorced 4 times. I wonder if I won arguments and ended up divorced? Would I rather have lost an argument and kept a marriage?  We often hear about a win/win situation. I wonder if sometimes there just needs to be a loser? I think that Jesus showed us how to lose. He gave his life that we could have eternal life. So many times the disciples walking with Jesus wanted to win and Jesus kept trying to teach them that was not his purpose to come to earth to win. When Jesus set up his kingdom (and won) which of the disciples (they argued) would set on his right hand and which on his left? Jesus said you don't understand.  He came to serve, to be a ransom for many. When they were going through Samaria and the Samaritans realizing they were Jews and did not want them to stay, the disciples asked if they should call down fire from heaven as Elijah did and destroy them. Jesus moved on to another village. When the soldiers came to get Jesus to crucify him, Peter was in attack mode and cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest.  Peter was ready to fight to win. Jesus picked up the ear and healed the man's ear. Jesus changed the lives of many for thousands of years by losing his life on a cross at calvary. Have we lost the art of losing, to win in the end? By winning in the end, I mean in eternity.  Jesus modeled losing for us when he gave his life for us on the cross, he lost everything yet million have won a home in eternity with him. Do we need to learn how to lose again, and perhaps learn servanthood?  He that would be greatest, let him be a servant. God didn't take my Grandson's mother to hurt him, I wonder if God is trying to get an eleven-year-old boy to put his trust in God? Another verse comes to mind: husbands love your wives as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for the church.  Not quoted word for word, But once again Christ lost, he gave himself up for the church.  Are we winning too much and God wants us to be servants to others? Do we need to learn how to lose? I wonder if the opposite of winning is being a servant? Our representatives for our government in Washington DC are supposed to serve us but most of the time they concentrate on winning the next election. I really think we may need to learn to lose again, sometimes it is good for relationships if we lose. Something to think about. God bless, LVZ.