I like to win. Winning is fun. And if you don’t want to win atsomething or succeed at it, then why even attempt it? This is why Vince Lombardi said, “Winning isn’t everything, it is the only thing.” Many people wrongly misinterpret that quote to mean you should steal and cheat to get ahead. Lombardi didn’t mean that at all. He meant the reason his players practiced and worked hard was to succeed. Lombardi loved to win and he won 5 NFL championships because winning wasn’t everything it was the only thing.
Recently, I have been going through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University again. Dave over and over again will say, “That’s how you win.” Dave’s passion is to help people win or succeed with money. He has failed with money and knows what does not work. He discovered what did work and put it into practice. He won with money because he likes winning.
Winning is better than losing. Unfortunately, I have discovered that not everyone likes winning or will do what it takes to win. A few days ago I had a conversation with someone from the archdiocese. He was talking about how many people in the Catholic Church don’t like mega churches. He said his response is, “What don’t you like about mega churches? That they are bringing people to faith in Christ?” The point is that many people don’t like mega churches because they are winning. They are winning at making disciples. They are succeeding in core business.
Whenever we see someone winning with money or business or in relationships or in business or in Church world or in any endeavor, we have one of three options: we can learn from them, ignore them or mock them. When we ignore or mock them, we are essentially saying, “I like losing and I don’t want to win.” The Bible calls people who like losing “scoffers.” Psalm 1 says, “Happy are they who do not sit in the company of scoffers.” Scoffers criticize and they mock but they never do anything great.
Hans von Balthazar said holiness can be killed but it cannot be refuted. Likewise, winning can be criticized and mocked, but it cannot be refuted.
Our larger Church culture is losing because to some degree we like losing. We have become comfortable with losing. What is needed is a generation that hungers and thirsts to win for Christ. Our losing culture is largely self-inflicted and does not need to be. The revival of the Catholic Church will come when enough people want to win and find a holy discontent with losing.
Do you believe God wants his Church to win?
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