Proud To Be a Loser

The results are in, and the foot is good! Aside from some bruising and some possible minor strains, the doc cleared me to run a mere three miles yesterday. Gearing up, my coach made me promise that no matter what, I would run NORMAL. No limping, no compensating, and no favoring my right leg. I took these requests rather seriously, because if you know of my history with injuries, you will know that I don't have room on my list to add another. Luckily, during the run, instead of experiencing stabbing pains, I just feel a little stiffness and soreness, but mostly just awkwardness. I felt like I was running across bubble wrap. Like I would lose my balance at any moment. I tried to shift my thoughts to something else like school, or the weather, but instead I trapped my mind in the negatives of my track season. (Nobody said giving up total control would be easy) All I could think about was how only running a weak three miles today would never prepare me for my next upcoming meet. How could I perform well missing tomorrow's workout? How could I win a race when I've missed two days of running already? How long am I going to feel like a failure, a loser? Luckily, when I got to the peak of my negative thoughts, my run was over, so I could go on the rest of the day without thinking about it. Only, it was not a subject easy to forget. Before I went to bed, I vowed that I would wake up with a positive attitude and move forward. I prayed for God to help me lean on Him in my times of need and discomfort. I prayed for him to show me that He is having me go through this time only to emerge stronger than ever. That I wasn't a loser. Now let me just tell you, God is amazing. (If you didn't know this already) I receive daily devotionals on my email every morning courtesy of "Joni and Friends," and today's could not have been any more perfect. It spoke about how society today idolizes and praises winners. When picking partners for a school assignment, people always call "dibs" on the smart kids. Flyers, signs, applications, etc. all indicate that the person desired for the job or task should be the most talented, the brightest, the most experienced; in other words, weak losers not allowed. Today, we all strive for perfection, but for what? So that everything we do comes out looking beautiful and brilliant for others. No. We do it for one sole reason, and that is to put a big ole' obvious sticker on it that says I DID THIS, MAN DID THIS, NOT GOD. It is the same with competing in an event. Do people compete to win for God's glory? Or do they want to win because it will make people idolize them? God is the one calling the shots, no you. He gave us the talents, the skills, the speed, the endurance, the fire, etc. So why do we expect to receive all the glory? So what if I am set back a few days. So what if I can't do the workout today. So what if I did fail at an attempt of a mile. SO WHAT IF I AM A LOSER. God loves losers. He wants to be surrounded by those who serve in humility, rely on him for help, and give up their lives for Him. That way, our sole focus will be on the strength and power that comes with relying on Him rather than ourselves. We all need to stop believing that being winners in our sport gives us the right to accept all of the glory, and the right to put ourselves on pedestals. We need to stop believing that God is absent from our lives when we come in 2nd, 3rd, or even last place. We need to stop striving for absolute and utter perfection of human, man made life and start striving for a life of humility and service to God. Thank God for today, and next time someone calls you a Loser, smile and say thank you :).