Every parents should know this about winning and losing

I heard a teacher say, “We should eliminate competition from kids’ lives because it always produces a loser. “ 

That’s sounds good but it’s impractical and bad theology.

1. Impractical.

It doesn’t prepare a child for life – where you don’t get awards for breathing.
Children need to learn that hard work is rewarded – not merely showing up.
All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. – Proverbs 14:23

Great people don’t become great because they never lose. Every great man or woman suffered set-backs, loss, disappointment and failure. Greatness grows out of learning from losing and moving forward.

Instead of shielding our children we need to teach them how to move beyond failure with faith, hope and confidence that God is still in control. (Jeremiah 29:11)

2. Bad theology.

We’re in a spiritual competition and not everyone wins.
Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize?
So run to win!       – 1Corinthians 9:24

This is written to believers destined for heaven. So it isn’t talking about salvation nor are we competing against other believers. Our struggle is against the old nature and Scripture is clear there are levels of reward in heaven – just like there are degrees of punishment in hell.

Paul went into “strict training”, disciplined himself like an athlete to win the prize. He told the Corinthians to do the same thing – run to win. There is a prize for those who apply themselves and “run to win”.

3. Love is not based on winning.

Make sure your child knows that win, lose or draw they are loved the same by God and Dad and Mom. There is nothing they can do to make God love them more or less (and that should be true of our love for them, too). His love is based on who He is – unchanging – not on who we are.

I think we set our kids up for major disappointment if we convince them they’re “winners” just because they breath air. We need to challenge them to “run to win” but assure them they are loved based upon who they are, not what they do.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.    – 2 Corinthians 5:10