Dante had been job seeking for about a month when he finally got a request for an interview. The interview was longer than expected, and after an hour or so, he felt pessimistic about things. The interviewer asked Dante, “how do you feel about losing?” Dante answered by saying that he can appreciate the losses in life. They sometimes teach a person what they’re doing wrong. Those lessons are valuable because they can help us do things differently. We can correct our mistakes and achieve better results the next time. Dante has always had this humble approach when it comes to accepting accountability, but the interviewer seemed a bit arrogant and unimpressed with his responses. This really turned Dante off about the whole thing.
Ecclesiastes 3:1(ESV) says, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” This is a piece of wisdom that should be at the forefront of our arsenal of knowledge. Nothing in life happens by happenstance. We are not random people having random experiences and encounters in life. Romans 8:29(NLT) tells us, “29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” God knew us long before we entered our mother’s womb. Acts 17:26 tells us that He appointed when and where we would be born, so we can be sure that God knows everything about us and everything about the life we’re living. In a nutshell, everything about our existences are included in His plan.
Our purpose for being in the earth is to have an intimate relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. God requires us to grow continually in our knowledge of our beloved Redeemer. We should be growing in our commitment to live by his example, and in our demonstration of the authority, power, and love of Christ. This is why we’re here.
Romans 3:23(NLT) tells us, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” All of us make mistakes, and some of them are doozies, but God forgives us. He throws our sins as far as the east is from the west and remembers them no more. However, we must never lose sight of the reality that we are God’s children, and as His kids, He expects that we will learn from our mistakes and grow stronger and more spiritually mature in Jesus Christ.
God’s forgiveness doesn’t give us permission to keep doing the wrong things and making the same mistakes over again. Yes, He forgives us, but the consequences of our errors should wake us up. The discomfort and inconvenience they cause should prompt us to steer clear of repeating the same behavior. Consequences from the wrong actions are not fun, and if we pay attention to them, they can instruct us and help us get back on track.
Arrogance is thinking too much of ourselves. It’s witnessed when people are so puffed up that they will not admit their mistakes. They hate to lose and try to win at any cost. Dante understood that losing doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve failed. Losing can be employed by God to cause all things to work together for our good, as He says in Romans 8:28. It can be correction too that helps us grow and excel in Christ.
We must change our perspective and understand that losing does not always equal defeat. Not when you belong to the Creator of the entire universe. God can do anything and everything. Jesus Christ said in Mark 9:23 that anything is possible if a person believes in the power of God. We desperately need to trust Him with our whole heart. Life is not always easy, and God did not promise that it would be. Sometimes we endure great losses, and we may fall, but God requires us to get back up again because He’s empowered us to do so. Romans 8:37 declares that we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ. Conquerors conquer because they learn from their mistakes and get wiser and better. This is what we must do. Those in the world chose arrogance, but we must choose humility. We can appreciate our losses because 2Corinthians 12:9 declares that God’s grace is all we need, and His power works best in our weakness. When we trust this, God will turn every loss to a win for His glory.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Appreciate the Losses”, written by KLizzie, edited by Reverend Fran Mack, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2022. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.