Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. (1 Corinthians 9:25)

I had a perfect record toward the end of the two-on-two volleyball tournament.  I was 0-5, yes, a perfect ‘losing’ record!  At the start of my last game, my teammate was undefeated.  At the end of that game his perfect record was destroyed.  My record?  Still perfect at 0-6.  Physically, it was great exercise playing six games to 21 points.  Mentally, it was a lot more than that!

Why is it so hard to be excited about losing?  Is it just me, or is it mentally draining for competitive people like me to describe defeat with enthusiasm?  Instead of reciting my win/loss ratio to curious competitors, I made them laugh by answering, “I’ve been building character all day.”  They all knew what that meant!  Here are a few other things you can do when you are off your game: 

Days later, I was told that my undefeated partner had been intentionally selecting the most experienced teammates.  He was caught in the act just before our final game and assigned me, one of the least experienced players!  Though, I had initially felt bad about tarnishing his perfect record, I learned things aren’t always what they seem when you are ‘building character’. 

We have never been call to perfection – NEVER!  We have been call to love God and love others.  (Matthew 22:36-40)  Those two things have nothing to do with volleyball, sales presentations, spreadsheets, staff meetings and everything to do with our focus.  We must stay in the game and yet rise above it.  That is what sets us apart and enables us to strive for ‘heavenly wins’ (and a whole lot of character) rather than a perfect record.

Based on the material presented at the recent Leadership Summit, participants will collaborate with other leaders in the community and plan to take action on important leadership principles.  (Attendance of the CHCC or Leadership Summit is not required.)