win

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Gaining Victory Out Of What Seemed A Loss

I achieved a victory even though I lost. 

gaining victory out of what seemed a loss

Have you ever had that happen when you technically lost, but in a way you won? It happened to me driving home from the Kingston Frontenacs hockey game the other night. 

During the hockey season, Friday nights are date nights for me and Lily. It’s something we do together and both enjoy. 

Because I’m the team chaplain, Lily has also gotten to know the players and so she has a personal interest in watching them play. She’s a pretty vocal supporter, too. She will shout out their first names and, with all kinds of passion, encourage them to skate after that puck or go for the goal.

This fall Lil has been coming in to work at the church on Friday afternoons. Our standard practice is to take just one car down to the hockey game and leave the other one at the church to pick up after the game.

It’s not that there is anything said or that we plan on it, but one thing leads to another and, during our drive home, the race is on. 

This past Friday I switched lanes thinking that I would be behind someone who was going to travel faster than the car I was behind. 

It was a big mistake! 

The car I had been behind turned off the road just after I changed lanes and Lily moved up and ahead of me in that other lane. 

I then got boxed in because the new car I was following was not going as fast as the line of cars beside me. I couldn’t change back and kept getting further and further behind Lily.

… Then came an opening. I made my move and, well, drove a little fast. 

Lily was way ahead but I kept up my speed and caught up to her at a red light. 

I again got in the opposite lane from her, knowing that her lane had to merge due to construction. … But I didn’t count on the guy in front of me going slow enough that Lily was able to get in front of him, and not get stuck waiting to merge. 

Once Lily turned off the main road, there were no more opportunities for me to get ahead of her. It was like she had already won and we were still a kilometre from home. 

I stayed right behind her though.

As we turned onto our street, I hit my garage door remote and my door started opening before hers did. She pulled into our driveway; I came up beside her and drove directly into the garage. From there I quickly exited the car and got to the door before she was able to park her car. 

I kind of won, but she made it to the driveway first. Luckily my garage door remote has a farther range and my door opens and closes faster than hers. That’s what gave me the win. 

Lily keeps protesting the results, insisting it’s the first to the driveway who wins, but I’m still claiming victory.

Here’s the thing: We saw a similar scenario in what Christ did. He lived a perfect life only to die because the religious leaders were jealous and threatened by him. It looked like Jesus lost when he died on the cross, but really he won the victory for you and me to have our sins paid for and to have a relationship with God the Father. His seeming loss was real victory.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Have you taken hold of the victory Jesus won for you? Leave your comments and questions below.

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How to Win An Argument With Yourself

If you’ve ever tried to win an argument, you know how hard it is to change your mind.

In my last post (read here) I wrote how real change only comes when you change your mind, and not when you just do something different.

Doing something different can bring temporary change, but not long-lasting change. For the long haul you need to change your mind.

I remember I once changed a teacher’s mind. In my high school geography class we were studying Israel and who had a right to the land – the Jews or the Arabs. It was a hot issue because, at the time, it looked like Egypt and Israel would go to war.

Our teacher set up a debate for our class to decide who had the rights to the land, with one side defending the Jews and the other the Arabs.

I got thrown on Israel’s side and, since I was probably the only kid who went to church, I had some background to Jewish history.

By the end, my side had won and my teacher was really impressed that we had changed her mind with our arguments.

Changing your mind takes work; it doesn’t come easy.

If changing our minds was easy, we wouldn’t do the same things over and over again, expecting a different result.

Changing your mind is like a skill, and to develop any skill you need to work at it; you need to practice.

Years ago I learned the skill of playing the guitar. The only problem was I didn’t practice it enough. Though I play the guitar, I don’t play it very well – that would require me to practice way more than I do and, over the years, I’ve proved that I don’t have the desire to practice enough to become good at it.

Changing your mind requires that you put new or different information in your head, and then use it or practice it over and over.

It’s similar to having a favourite picture frame filled with an ugly picture. You won’t be happy with the frame until you change the picture in it.

In my office I have a picture I had taken of me with a famous hockey player. I also got his autograph to “Pastor Paul” on a separate card.

They sat on my desk for a while before I did anything with them. They were of no benefit to me until I got a nice picture frame, removed the sample picture that came with it, and replaced it with the picture of Darrell Sittler and his autograph.

It looked great; it was just what I wanted. But it took another week until Lily found the right place to hang it on my office wall so I could enjoy it.

To change your mind, you have to want to change, and then you need to put new information in your mind and use it.

Here’s the thing: If you are struggling with a sin, a habit, or a character issue and you want to overcome it, change it. Then find a verse that speaks to that issue and memorize it. Work that verse into your mind by saying it every day, and every time you fail at the change you want to make. Over time you will change your mind with that verse. It will help you to change your character so that you will not be plagued by that sin, habit or issue any more.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: When you think of something you would like changed, what verse comes to mind?  Leave your comments below.