You Win Some, You Lose Some

I really like March Madness.
I actually got to watch a number of games and most of the Final Four this year.
I was rooting for Memphis; don't know why, I just was.

Tonight's championship was a great game, overtime and everything.
Both teams performed admirably.
Memphis blew a moderate lead.
Kansas hit the do-or-die shots.

You win some, you lose some.

Memphis didn't manage the clock well.
Memphis didn't make their free throws.
Memphis' big guy fouled out.
Memphis lost the game.

I know how you feel, Memphis.
A lot of days, I don't manage the clock well either.
I don't hit the clutch "shots" when the pressure's on.
I even take myself out of the game for making too many mistakes sometimes.
Some days I feel like I've lost "the game" for my team -
whether that team is my family, my friends, my work colleagues, or even the Lord.

But the reality is that
You win some, you lose some.
I'm not going to be as "on" everyday as I'd like to be.
The high expectations I have of myself may not reflect
the Lord's expectations of me.
My idea of "winning" may not be winning at all, the way He sees it.
And my perceived "losses" may not be losses at all in the Lord's eyes.
A few failures, even those connected into a chain of negative events,
doesn't diminish what HAS been done
and what is YET TO BE.
My perception of what IS must be submitted to the One who alone sees the divine "final score" of each day.
The win is Christ living in me;
an invitation for Him to reign in me;
to work for, in, over, around, before, behind, and through me.

Chin up, Memphis;
It was a fantastic ride,
and who knows -
maybe the best is yet to come.

To any of my friends who feel like they've been losing more than they've been winning lately -
Press on.
I know first-hand that we don't have to be defined by
past failures,
weaknesses,
or brokenness of any kind.
Tomorrow, I still may not win,
but I can be a better competitor.
I CANNOT lose the most important thing -
the loving salvation of my Lord Jesus Christ.

Chin up, friend.