What “winning” looks like
Drew Killingsworth 5/11/26
Recently, I had someone walk up to me at an event and tell me I was brave for some recent choices I had made. I honestly hadn’t thought of it that way. It felt like necessary decisions that scared me like hell. However, no matter who you are, compliments always feel good.
It reminds me of my daughter on the edge of a pool with me inside, encouraging my 3-year-old to jump in. She is scared, but finally jumps. Water goes in her face. She doesn’t like it. But she looks around, and everyone is applauding, and she smiles.
But the win isn’t the applause nor the compliments. Why do good parents put their kids in intimidating situations? It’s to show them what they are capable of. This isn’t possible without a good parent challenging us to grow.
As followers of Christ, the Father challenges us so we can grow. “Wait?” you may ask, “God puts us in challenging situations?” Sure. He stands in the pool and says, “Jump”. He called Peter to step out of the boat into the storm. He called Paul to Macedonia, where he would face persecution. He called David to be king, but it came with a jealous king Saul, chasing him into caves. Why? It wasn’t so people would compliment their ability to face the challenges. Rather, it was so they would grow, and that growth would ultimately show how good their Father is.
Peter got back into the boat, and the disciples worshipped Jesus. Paul was imprisoned in Macedonia. He worshiped the Lord, and many came to know the Father. King David wrote the psalms during his darkest moments, revealing the glorious God he served.
What is winning? Not the applause. Winning is growing and ultimately pointing our growth to our great Father so that he is revealed to the world.
The win is standing in the pool holding my daughter and hearing “I love you, daddy. My daddy is awesome.” As her dad, I am reminding her, “You are brave. I love you. You are amazing.”
The win is standing in that event, looking that person in the eyes and saying, “Thank you for the compliment, God is faithful. He has taught me so much.”
