(For this week’s video, I used yesterday’s entry, ‘Tips and Techniques or Intimate Desperation?’ Click through and scroll down to read the entry.)
Luke 9:25 “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world and yet lose or forfeit his very self?”
What is winning, and what is losing? Back in the fourth century, St. Ambrose reflected: “Our whole Roman world had gone dead in its heart because it feared tragedy, took flight from suffering, and abhorred failure. In fear of tragedy, we worshipped power. In fear of suffering, we worshipped security. During the rising splendour of our thousand years, we had grown cruel, practical, and sterile. We did win the whole world, but in the process, we lost our souls.”
In contrast, there was a beautiful incident in the Washington Special Olympics in 1976 when a group of special needs children set out to run the 100m. When the starting gun sounded, they all took off down the track. About halfway along, one boy tripped and tumbled a few times before landing in a heap, crying. Another runner, a girl with Downs Syndrome, stopped and gave the boy a kiss to make it better. Another child also turned back and gave the injured boy a hug. The children then walked with their fallen friend to the finish line. While they didn’t win the race they won the hearts of all the spectators, and the event is still talked about to this day.
The Bible compares life to a race. We’re told to set our face towards the finish line, to be focused and undistracted as we press on – but if we miss those who are hurting as we run past, we’ve somehow missed the point of our existence. The children in the race were not interested in the glory or honour of a big finish. They were interested in each other. I wonder if sometimes God is waiting to see if we will lay down our own agenda, prioritise people over our own pursuits, and get down on our knees to hug the hurting of this world. Could you do that today?
Lord, teach me what you consider true winning and losing to be. Amen!
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