Win Or Lose?

My favorite sport is baseball. I played Little League, Pony League and High School. So, each summer I love to watch the Little League World Series playoffs. The final championship game is today, Sunday.

The kids today are really talented, much more so than when I played almost 70 years ago. As the playoffs progress, the remaining teams are more talented, the games mean more, and the tension grows.

The kids who win are like those in the picture above. It’s a great moment for them. The kids who lose are often devastated, crying with each other. In some ways I can relate to the losing kids more than those who win as I’ve lost many times in my life.

Out of my few wins and several losses, I’ve learned one thing. The greatest lesson you can learn in life is how to lose, not how to win.

I’ve learned much more from my losses than from my wins.

The greatest loss was when I learned I was not the captain of my soul. Out of that loss, I received my greatest victory. I deserved condemnation and punishment, but I received mercy and grace – and a changed life.