The Thrill of Victory - The Agnoy of Defeat

One must shake his head in wonder at the thought that God has chosen to bring believers into the close fellowship of family. Undoubtedly, the closeness experienced when the family gathers for some festive or solemn occasion is unmatched by other moments of joy.

As we have watched the events of the Winter Olympics at Sochi unfold, some of the more poignant have been the delight seen on the faces of family vicariously experiencing a victory won by a sibling, a son or daughter. Collectively, we reached for our own hankies as Alex Bilodeau from Canada embraced his special needs brother, Frederic, having just clinched gold in the Men’s Freestyle Skiing Moguls. We felt our own hearts swell with pride as Frederic mouthed to Alex, “I love you!” in the bedlam of the winner’s celebration. 

So it is with our Father when we have a triumph great or small. It is His delight we experience and share with other family members as we coast on the wings of victory.

Conversely, and not so well publicized, were those other family moments at Sochi when the run did not go so well. It wasn’t in the winner’s circle but in the loser’s slow shuffle away from the lights and cameras that we saw the true depth of family love. An arm around defeated shoulders, an embrace while hot tears of frustration flowed down flushed and embarrassed cheeks, soft words uttered in loving consolation; each of these happened time and again as young people who had done their best but received no medal received instead the love and admiration of family who still believed in them.

Of course you will anticipate God’s participation in your best moments. But you can also count on Him to be there when you are picking up the pieces from some effort that didn’t earn you anything but a black eye. You see…He has invited each of us to become His family member. And family stands with family. You can count on God’s willingness to be there at both ends of life’s extremes.