Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself;

Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Philippians 2:3-4 (New American Standard Bible)

 


Winners and Losers

 

            This week, probably as never before, we have been glued to the T.V. awaiting the returns to see who won and who lost. In a contest that demands voting, there is an obvious winner and loser, but in the process of living how do we determine who was successful and who missed the mark.

            Tracker, my golden retriever from years before, loved an audience. He was also a confident natural athletic who loved to play ball and could put on quiet a show by jumping up into the air while grabbing a successful catch. As he grew, he learned to fit two balls in his mouth.

            Tracker also knew how to take care of himself. When getting too hot, he would get in his wading pool and cool off. Yes, two balls, a wading pool, and an audience, the larger the better, were the ingredients for his success.

            One day a group of us were in the back with Tracker and another golden retriever. The other retriever was a good dog, but he wasn’t as confident as Tracker, nor was he a natural athletic. This afternoon, we were throwing balls for the dogs to chase. Tracker didn’t disappoint. Always the first to get to the balls, he’d pick up his two and with his tail waiving, return with them to the cheering group. The other dog not so successful which was not lost on his disappointed owner.

 Finally, there was a moment the game changed. The balls were tossed. Tracker quickly secured his two, but then it happened. As he turned around, he was met by the other dog, almost running aimlessly as if he didn’t really seem to understand how to win. Tracker then literally pointed with his head to the other ball almost effectively saying, “Pick it up and take it back. That’s what you do to succeed.” The other retriever caught on, picked up the ball and returned to the cheering crowd his tail waving. For once, he too was a success.

Tracker performed beautifully that afternoon, but in my mind his most successful play was when, in the midst of the game, he showed the other dog what to do and then shared the glory.

Thought: When the lights go out and no one is paying attention, or cares is the winner the one with the large house, bank account, etc. or the one who, in the midst of the game, stopped, showed another how to succeed and then dared to share the spotlight.

 


              

           

               

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  Therefore, encourage one another, and build up one another--- 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NASB)               The following story was a featured archive story on the Internet and shows how these children, by not putting themselves first, brought joy to all.: Ubuntu—I Am Because We Are:             An anthropologist put a basket of fruit under a tree and told the children the first to reach the tree could have the basket. The signal was given, but there was no race. The children joined hands and walked to the tree together. When he asked why they did that when one of them could have had all of the contents their answer, in somewhat disbelief to the question, was How can we be happy, when the rest are miserable. Tew, R. (2015, June 3).  Ubuntu story . Live Life Happy.  https://livelifehappy.com/ stories/an-anthropologist- proposed-a-game-to-the-kids- in...
Read more
Image
  The Power of a Small Gesture     John 6:1-16 is the story of the feeding of the 5000. With a boy’s gift of five barley loaves and two fish, and the blessing of Jesus, 5000 people ate with food left over. Jesus therefore took the loaves and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated, likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted. And when they were filled, He said to His disciples, Gather up the leftover fragments that nothing may be lost. And so they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, which were left over by those who had eaten. (New American Standard Bible)               Anne Sullivan known as the Miracle Worker who worked wonders with Helen Keller experienced poverty and cruelty as a child. The writings from the Helen Keller Society talk about two defining experiences in this extraordinary woman’s life. At eight years of age,...
Read more
Image
  When Shouts of Ho, Ho, Ho and Merry Christmas Make You Feel Sad   Have the well wishes of the holidays, the music, and twinkling lights ever made you want to close your eyes and hold your ears? It’s easier, and more socially acceptable to paste a smile on your face while wishing for a sabbatical from life with the ability to return when the holidays are over. I’m not being cynical or sacrilegious, but the reality is that problems can make this time of year difficult. What to do? First, I urge those whose hearts are hurting to realize you’re not alone and to be kind to yourself.             We may need our own space and a break:   Years ago, I was asked to play for a wedding for a couple I had never met. All I knew was that the mother of the bride was flying in and the father was attending with his wife. The night of the rehearsal, the bride’s mother hung out with me. My suspicion was she used this time and spa...
Read more