I want to win. The obsession extends to everything I do. I am not sure when it started; it seems that when I was young, I would settle for being second. Not now! I need to win at work, in conversations, in any game, in every aspect! If the situation does not have a set of rules on how to win, I make them up! Winning is life. Being first is the destination!
As I daily refocus on God, I do not believe my winning obsession is wrong. In fact is it probably one of the healthiest drives I know. The issue is that I often get my definition of winning twisted into something that God does not recognize. Is the goal to win for self? Is climbing over the hearts and souls of anyone around me an important step? Is there a picture of what true winning looks like?
The picture in today's world is getting uglier. We admire those who make it to the top, yet we rarely talk about their character or compassion. A women was appointed to the head of a major business in London and the one thing every paper noted was her ruthlessness in firing those who did not measure up to her standards. A senior executive of another firm makes a major speech and says the one measurement that counts is how much money is made for the firm. He speaks of wealth creation, stock price, and financial rewards. He lists his priorities; people arrive in a distant fifth. People are components of a product which firms exploit to their advantage.
This is not winning.
We cannot solve the world's problems; however, we can make a difference. We have a choice. God offers you and I the chance to make a difference. His tools are compassion, mercy, and acceptance. “So – join the company of good men and women, keep your feet on the tried and true paths. It's the men who walk straight who will settle this land, the women with integrity who will last here.” (Proverbs 2.20,21)
