I remember that phrase from a sports show on television when I was a kid. I think it describes well our experience at the county fair last month. There were days of tears when horses and riders did not perform well and at other times the excitement of winning or at least placing in a class or contest.

I don’t think God cares so much whether we win or lose, as long as we are doing our best. I think what He does care about is how we handle our victories and defeats. Can we win without being prideful and arrogant? That is a test I haven’t had to take too often.

Something I’ve had more experience with is the “agony of defeat.” As we faced a few disappointing moments this year, I was reminded of the verse in Romans 12:15 that calls us to

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”

Maybe it’s just me, but I’m usually able to sympathize pretty easily  with those who are weeping, but I have to work at rejoicing with those who rejoice.

Take this scenario for instance:

You’ve worked really hard with your horse all year. Now you’re at the fair, the big 4-H event of the year. There are 7 horses and riders in your class and 6 placings. As the class ends you feel like you did fairly well. You listen as the placings are announced and your number is never called. You slowly leave the ring, frustrated and a little embarrassed.

At that moment do you feel like rejoicing with those who placed high in the class? Even if you manage to congratulate the winner, is your heart really in it? I’m not saying it is easy to do, but I do think it pleases God when we are able to.

Too often I hear the opposite – whining, complaining, and envy. Maybe you’ve heard them also, comments like the following –

“Where did they get that judge anyway? Is she blind?”
“How could they place that horse over me? I saw her break 3 times.”
“If I had as expensive a horse as she does, I would win everything too.”
“It’s not fair!”

The image in this devotion is something I designed for our Christian Cowgirl T Shirts, to convey the message that there is something more important in this life than winning horse shows. It’s a theme I addressed in my book, “Sonrise Stable: Rosie and Scamper” also. Developing Christ-like character is much more important and sometimes God uses our defeats to teach us that.