Win Some and Lose Some

I was watching the reality show “Blackzilians” during my gym run on the treadmill and found it quite intriguing. It caught my attention because one of the fighters said, “I don’t care if I lose 4 out of 5 fights, I just know that the fire is going to come.” They had to discuss the reality of loss.  He had a very positive perspective on fighting. It doesn’t always mean that you celebrate the victories, but that you also learn how to deal with the losses.  Don’t allow loss to make you quit and throw in the towel.  If passion is what drives you, not winning, then you should never quit because of a loss.

There was another guy scheduled to fight and he caught a seizure.  The whole team felt the impact of him being down. They had to find someone else in the team to step up and fight. As all the men stood, you see that there were so many.  I think what really brings success is having a team of good fighters put together.  Of all the men there, each will have a different gift, skill set, talent, speed, coordination, agility and strength. Does that mean that one is less than the other? What it means is that every person on that team has something unique about them in order to fight.  This makes each of them valuable in their own way.  For when one is not able to fight on that day, someone else can fight for them!

1Timothy 6:12 tells us, “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” So no matter what we are going through, we have to keep on fighting our way through it. There are going to be days where you win some and lose some.  You are going to have to get your hands dirty. You are going to have to learn to fall.  You are going to have to learn to embrace pain. You will have to learn all these things so that you conquer all your fears and failures in order to get back up strong.  Being strong is having, showing, or able to exert great bodily or muscular power; physically vigorous or robust; accompanied or delivered by great physical, mechanical, etc., power or force; mentally powerful or vigorous; especially able, competent, or powerful in a specific field or respect; of great moral power, firmness, or courage.  

We cannot quit.  We have to get mentally strong. We have to break through our darkest hours in life in order to really appreciate the light that is certain to come. Apostle Paul must have felt that in his darkest hour of imprisonment.  Yet he took the time still to encourage others like Timothy, “Fight the good fight!”  He was telling him not to give up and not to quit.  He was familiar with failure, disappointment, discouragement, battle and turmoil. Why else would he know to write such encouraging words.

“Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” Ephesians 6:10

“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”  Philippians 4:12

“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10

Moments of weakness ARE going to come but so are the good moments!  I recently bought a book that has been so helpful for my walk in the Lord titled, “What Your Heart Needs for the Hard Days” by Holley Gerth. This book has been extremely insightful especially when I feel myself passing through those dark days.  We all have them. I shared this with my counselor friend and he said, “Why are you only focused on the hard days?  What is your heart going to do on the good days?”  I looked at him and I just shook my head because he is always right.  I can’t just look at the hard days but I have to consider the good days that I have as well.

Looking back at the minds of these men that are professional fighters, I could just relate with the tenacity that they have. They continue no matter what happens. They get wounded, feel loss, and surely feel the pain but they train hard in order to endure all of that.  Likewise we have to train our spirits to be prepared for the fights we will have to encounter as well.  Same concept as the soldier that is outlined in its entirety of Ephesians 6. We have an ongoing war and there are ways to win it!  Just don’t let the bad days take you so far off course.  Stay the course. Keep fighting. For your victory is definitely going to happen as well. So gear up, put on your boxing gloves and stand tall! Even though you win some and lose some, you will be sure to have an amazing comeback if you just don’t quit!