Winning Beats Losing II

I have been thinking about my blog from Wednesday, February 8. In reflecting on it, I thought there were a few things I would like to add when it comes to our attitude and winning.

First, I would add that winning and succeeding and what that looks like will be different for different churches depending on their circumstances or context. A little church in a country town and its success looks much different than a church’s success in an affluent suburban town. If a person has a mountain of debt, winning and succeeding is going to look much different than someone who has a fully funded emergency fund.

Second, even though I like to win, I must add that sometimes I don’t like to do the things I know will make me successful. I choose self-defeating behaviors. I have been trying to lose weight in the New Year and get down to my ideal weight. When I started a 90 day plan to lose weight I planned to give up alcohol and coffee except for a few special occasions during that time. The special occasions have multiplied and I am not reaching my goals because I am choosing to drink coffee and alcohol. I am choosing self-defeating behaviors.
We all face times when we may say we want to win and succeed at something but don’t give our maximum effort or cheat ourselves. Sometimes we even subtly sabotage ourselves because we fear failure and if hold back in some way then we have an excuse for not making our goal. In those cases we have to look in the mirror and tell ourselves, “You are the problem.” Losers blame their circumstances and others for failure. People who win are willing to take responsibility for their failures, including their fear of failure.

Third, I by no means want to play down the importance of grace when it comes to success and winning. We cannot succeed without grace. When it comes to getting to the next place as individuals or organizations, we need outside help. If we already had the capacity to get to the next level, we would be there. We need God’s grace that comes both mystically through prayer and the sacraments and very tangibly through the help of other people. Grace is available to those who chose to avail themselves of it. The choice is ours.

Fourth and last, I think we have to overcome a culture of losing. Individually that means overcoming a mentality that says, “I am always going to be broke. I am always going to be at this weight. I am never going to have a great relationship with my spouse or kids.” Many Catholic churches have developed a culture of mediocrity and losing. They say, “No one wants to come to Mass anymore. This next generation just isn’t interested in God.” These are excuses to fail that come from a culture of losing. The way we fight a losing mentality or culture is to stop believing the lies and to get some quick wins and celebrate them.