Winning & Losing

Exodus 17:10-12 So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill.  As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.  When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.

It's been statistically proven that out of the 162 Major League baseball games that make up a full season of play, every team will win at least 60 games and lose at least 60 games. In other words, the worst team will still manage to win 60 games, and the best team will still manage to lose 60. It's what happens with the other 42 that makes or breaks a season. It's an interesting way to think about a baseball season and another reason why I think baseball is a lot like life.

Winning teams experience a lot of losses. Losing teams experience a significant amount of wins. For 120 games out of 162, everybody looks the same. That's almost 75% of the season. It's what happens with the remaining 25% that makes the difference between a champion and a cellar-dweller.

Life is all about ups and downs. We're all going to have good days and bad days. Winners don't win all the time; losers don't lose all the time. In fact, most of the time, it's hard to tell the difference. You can't make one's experience the judge of everything. Pretty much all of sports tells us that winning is only a slight edge.

So what's the point of this for us? Experience isn't everything. If you're having a hard day, be patient, things are about to change. If you are cruising on top of things, enjoy it, because things are about to change. Change is the one constant for all of us, and those who are best prepared for it will have the best experience. If you expect things to always go well and get upset when they don't, you're in for making tough times tougher. If you are simply grateful for what each day brings, you will fare much better in the long run.

Paul revealed the secret for making it through his “season” of life. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12-13

It is a way to live that evens out the wins and the losses. It even leaves the wins and losses up to God. Don't you remember that coach who taught you as a kid that it's not all about winning or losing, but how you play the game that counts?

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12

A little trivia about comebacks.  Sports Illustrated in their November 12, 2001 issue  had an article titled Bouncing Back Bigtime!  In that article they listed the top 10 comebacks of all time:

10 Elvis Presley, 1968
9 Ludwig Wittgenstein, 1929
8 Go-go boots, 2000
7 Harry Truman, 1948
6 Humanity, 14th century
5 Muhammad Ali, 1974
4 John Travolta, 1994
3 Michael Jordan, 1995
2 Japan and Germany, 1950s
1 Jesus Christ, 33 A.D.  Defies critics and stuns the Romans with his resurrection.