It's Okay To Lose...Because of Love...

“4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” - 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 [NIV]

We tried to huddle together and avoided the heat of the sun. As my husband and I watched our son hit the tennis ball with his best might. He won the other day against another school. Yesterday, another school came to their school, to play.

It was a good game of exchanging skills learned from their daily practice and hard work. A kind of “hold-your-breath” moments where the game was so close. My son came out, sweating profusely and as he tried to replenish his waning energy with a sport drink, he gave me and my husband a hug and a kiss. He just lost. The opponent a much advanced player than he was.

“It’s okay. You did your best and you had some great shots!” my husband and I reassured him as we returned his gesture. He did. And we all knew it would always be a game of chance. It would always be a win or a lose. But my son knew. No matter what the outcome, his father and I would always be there for him. Because we love him. He was not worried about losing. He was more inspired to learn harder and eager to hear the mistakes he had. So, he could prevent himself from doing the same errors in the coming games ahead.

Like this life’s journey. The ups and downs of life. Where the way of accepting victories or losses matters. Either you’re a good sport or not. But knowing that there is a heavenly Father Who also watches the games we play and always reassures us no matter what the outcome helps us to endure. His faithful love truly changes our attitude in how we view this life’s wins or losses. Knowing how much He loves us all. Love is the greatest thing to have in our lives. All the positive attitudes are a result of it. Because God is love. He is the Author of love. And His kind of love has the power to heal broken hearts. It has the power to go beyond our limitations. It believes. It waits and welcomes no matter how many times you go astray. It always reassures and comforts when we seem to drown in life’s storms. It gives us immense joy knowing that His love accepts us for who we are. Yes, we are also created in His image because of love. Love after all, is truly the most powerful thing here. And we all desire to love and be loved. But we need to know and accept His kind of love before we can honestly love others: an unconditional love.

So, it’s okay to have losses sometimes. Because knowing He’s there with us, we can overcome. And we can strive harder next time a game or more comes. For in Him, we are already winners after all. His love never fails.

If you have some time, this is worth hearing God's outrageous love for all of us: