Playing to Win

Playing to win...
Seems like a simple concept. But here's the key you can't play to win if at the same time you're playing not to lose. What?

I don't know what it was that set me off but this is a thought that has been running through my thoughts and prayers the last few weeks. The whole idea of playing not to lose rather than playing to win. Let me give you a really lame example. I play this game on my cell phone called brick breaker. I play it all the time. Usually several times a day. It's simple. The idea of the game is to keep this little ball up in the air and hit the "bricks" with it. As you hit the bricks they disappear. Once the whole level is clear and free of bricks, then you move on to the next level. You get points for hitting bricks, moving onto higher levels, and catching these little pill things that do things to your ball catcher such as giving you guns or extra lives. Anyway, what I noticed is that when I play to win this game, then I am stratigically hitting the ball at different places and making it go to different places on the screen. However, when I am playing not to lose, then all I am doing is randomly moving the little dial back and forth and trying desperatly not to let the little ball fall off the screen which of course is what always happens when I play that way.

My point is this...When we play to win, then we know where we are headed or at least where we hope we are headed. We have a goal in mind and a possible path laid out for our journey. However, when we play just not to lose, then we simply standing in one place. We are headed no where in particular and we are simply trying not to drop everything in our lives. No one should live that way.

But something I noticed is that often times in my Christian life I do live that way. Instead of going out to others with a thought of sharing faith, I often go out with a thought of defending my faith. Who does that help? No one. I don't know about you but I don't like aimlessly roaming around in my life, when driving, when playing a sport. And I think I need to also gain a dislike for it in my faith.