Carl lay on the floor and looked like he had been totally defeated. He had been crying out for my attention and I was too busy to give it to him. So when he realized that he wasn’t going to receive it, he lay on the floor in udder defeat.
Defeat. It comes in many different forms. Some are huge hits to our ego while others can be tolerated. I play a lot of competitive tennis and with it comes wins and defeats. But one thing I have realized when I lose a match, my life doesn’t change once I am off the court.
Then there are the big defeats. Several years ago after retiring from teaching, I decided to start a tutoring business. I began with an air of arrogance that I would easily find clients. But this isn’t what happened. Time and time again, I would talk with potential clients and they would decide not to use my services.
The feelings of inadequacy swept over me with every rejection. I questioned my skills and three decades of experience. What would seem an easy transition turned into a defeat.
But my experience was nothing compared to what the Disciples of Christ felt when their leader was tortured and then killed on the cross. All of their hopes and dreams of a worldly kingdom with Christ as their king came crashing down as the blood dripped onto the ground.
This was supposed to be the greatest downfall in history. But what appeared to be a totally hopeless situation changed into the most ultimate victory of all time. And because of this spiritual triumph our defeats can also be transformed. For me, it ended up to be a blessing that my tutoring business didn’t work. God had other plans for me.
As for Carl, he got a super long walk this morning and a lot of verbal stroking that made his ears perk up and his body walk in a self- confident strut. And as I observed my pooch swaggering down the street, I smiled and thank God for my defeats that have been transformed into victories.
