The God of Outcomes
May is the season of graduations, academic awards banquets, championship games and moving onward. Our niece's life was on hold last week as her daughters worked their way through the school conference soccer playoffs. Every game they won meant having to move forward to the next match and anything else on the family calendar was postponed, but the joy of the championship title seemed to be worth all sacrifices.
One of the most powerful displays of emotions is at the end of a championship game. Have you watched on TV as elation spews out of one team...players twirling, jumping, hugging in disbelief that all their hard work has finally paid off and they don the hat and t-shirt that tells the world they are #1. Then the camera pans to the body on the field/court face down sobbing or the player on the sidelines with the towel draped over their head hiding the tears that cannot be contained.
Number 2's should not be forgotten.
You've heard me speak of the young man who has been in our lives his whole life and is now an NFL quarterback. Every spring/summer the competition for the #1 position begins again. Don't tell him, but after attending a game where he received a terrible head injured several years ago, I pray he stays at #2. Being a back up isn't a bad thing. Drives me nuts when people approach us and say, "Oh, he's not the starter this year?" I want to say, "Back up is not a shameful place to be."
John the Baptist didn't grumble about his position behind Jesus, nor did most of the disciples. Aaron and Hur were happy to hold up the arms of Moses, Ruth was happy and grateful to follow Naomi, and Jonathan never exhibited a jealous bone towards David.
The competition for first place continues into adulthood and not just in the sports world and workplace, but in relationships. There is nothing much more gut wrenching than coming to the realization the ONE, has chosen to spend life with another one.
The anticipation of winning a game, a position on a team, an academic award or someone's heart can be stressful. Most of our life we are so inwardly focused that it can be quite difficult to rejoice in the achievements of others, especially when it is a position for which we have longed.
In Matthew 22:36-39 God passes out the top two Greatest Commandments and guess what...they do not point towards putting ourselves #1.
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
I've mentioned before the Kanakuk Camps where the coveted award is the "I am Third" award! Campers are trained up to realized a winning life reflects being #3. God first, others second and I am third! (Im chuckling at myself for I was so proud of two of our sons who won this award. Not sure I was always a good rejoicer when our children didn't win what they had longed for, but at some point in life I learned to trust God is the ruler of outcomes and His ways are best!
"Cheering for someone who gets what you want changes you for the better. Sometimes it’s easy because the stakes are low. But, other times it’s so very hard because someone else gets what is our deepest desire, the thing we’ve been waiting for and setting our hearts and hopes on. Learning in that moment or through that circumstance to truly be glad for the other person is life-changing, especially when we thank God on their behalf!" Lisa Whittle Book The Hard Good
May we be found trusting and rejoicing in the plans of God and all his outcomes. Ooo, there are some good ones coming!
The Song
"You Say" Lauren Daigle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIaT8Jl2zpI
