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By Rick Penner
 The Olympic games in Bejing are thrilling audiences and instilling national pride among millions of people world wide right now. I thoroughly enjoy watching the various events and I marvel at the athletic ability of the participants. At an Olympic games some years ago a billboard read, "YOU DON'T WIN SILVER, YOU LOSE GOLD!" What do you think of such a statement? After a few days this sign was removed fortunately but what kind of message does such a statement send?
I believe it is a terrible statement! At a typical summer Olympiad there are at least 10,000 athletes who compete. Approximately 600 or so win gold medals. Does this mean that 9400 of them are losers? Is all the hard work, sacrifice, preparation and commitment of the 9400 in vain? So what is winning all about?
I am privileged to know a very successful college football coach. He happens to be one of the top ten winning coaches in the history of American college football. His teams have won 4 national championships. I like how he defines winning and success. He says winning is not the road to success. It is rather the success road. He goes on to say that winning is not about comparing myself to what others are doing. Winning is measured in terms of whether I give my personal best.
If I compare myself with others, I will initially find some whom I can outshine, outperform, or beat in competition. However, given human nature, I will then raise my sights and find others to compare with who are more challenging to me. Eventually I will meet my match and will fall short. Now I have become a failure if I use this as my measuring stick for winning. Our society tends to look at success in every realm like this. It applies to the size of our income, the cost and size of our home, and the variety of toys like cars, boats and golf clubs we own. We are constantly comparing ourselves with others. And, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment and frustration because "keeping up with the Jones"s" is hard to do.
My friend's way of looking at winning is much better. My competition is now with myself. The question is whether I have given my personal best. Success is not measured by how I perform in relation to others but rather how I perform in relation to what I could do.
I happen to think that this is how God looks at success and winning too! He has given us graciously talents, gifts, abilities, and opportunities. He is interested in how I use them. God does not compare me with others. He expects all of us to be faithful stewards of what we have been given. Nothing more. Nothing less.
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For me this is incredibly liberating. I can rejoice with your successes and I can grieve with you about your disappointments. Neither have anything to do with me though. I have my own responsibilities to identify, develop, and exercise my talents, gifts, responsibilities to the fullest. You have the same responsibility. I will not be judged on how well you have performed nor will you be judged by how well I have performed. We are not comparing ourselves with each other but with ourselves.
Think about this as you see the outstanding athletes of the world compete and as you then think about the "Olynpics of life" that you participate in every day. I like the words to a song Steve Green made popular. I think they say beautifully what I am trying to get across.
We're pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace
Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives
Chorus:
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift though all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find
Rick Penner D.Min. served in regional and national denominational positions for twenty years. He currently works with CARES. He is certified as a LIFO Trainer.
August 21/2008
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