"It's not about winning, it's about how you play the game." Now that's not an 'original' thought of mine. Maybe you've even heard it before. I used this, this evening when explaining to my oldest son why he's not supposed to get angry over losing a video game. And yes, I was the one who beat him, and yes I know Ephesians 6:4 came to mind (fathers don't provoke your children to anger). So I used the 'it's no about wining' phrase but then had to break it down in light of the gospel, so I thought I would share it.
So to say 'it's not about winning, but about how YOU play the game' sounds legal and very moral at best, with all of the emphasis on the player, which was the point I tried to make to my son. When I get angry over something it's usually because it didn't turn out the way I wanted. Ultimately it's about control. I told Caleb when he gets angry over a game it's because he wants to be God. With a funny look, he began to defend his position and tell me that he didn't want to be God, he just really like winning and didn't like losing. Yea son, me neither, but ultimately the reason I hate losing and like wining is because it puts me in control and in the drivers seat, and because of my sin I'll do anything to keep that position.
Now here's where we go a step further. Because of sin, my heart will continually want to go back and rebuild the old system where I earn my own righteousness and become my own savior, being in control, running the show, so to speak. Trying to comfortably place my self on the throne, denying Christ and treating grace as meaningless thereby saying I don't need Jesus, he didn't need to die, I just need to win. That word 'win' could be replaced by a lot of things, or people, or acceptance. Here is a section out of the JSB (Jesus Story Book)Bible from Luke 15, the story of 2 sons:
"And everything's wonderful and perfect - for a while. He(younger son) can go wherever he wants, do whatever he wants, be whoever he wants. He is the boss, he is free!
Sometimes he gets a strange, hungry, homesick feeling inside his heart, but then he just eats more, or drinks more, or buys more clothes, or goes to more parties until it goes away."
But Jesus blows that up! He fills the top spot. The first commandment tells us there's no more room at the top and the position has already been filled. He does the will of the father, being perfectly obedient, perfectly righteous, so we don't have to. That even when we lose, or fail...we win. He took on our sin and imputed His righteousness to us, that by grace alone, through faith alone, and by Christ alone...WE WIN! Yea Team Jesus!! Wow, now that's awesome!!
Maybe a better way to put it would be, it's not about winning, it's all about Jesus, so it's not dependent on us to win at everything, he has already won for us. Oh, and just so you know...I need this as much as my son does!
John
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