Loser!

It is not a good thing to have no motivation. Many people, have become spiritually and physically lethargic. I do not want anyone to misunderstand this: laziness is a sin. Yet, there is a sin that is a bit of an opposite to this, and many people do not realize it is a sin. The addiction to winning has sent many souls to eternal Hell.

People can fall into the addiction to winning quite easily today. It often begins with an idolatrous obsession with sports or games (especially video games), and it can be very difficult to overcome. The person gets attached to the desire to win (personally, or vicariously). It will then spread into other areas of a person's life. The sense of accomplishment (not bad in itself) can grow pride in a person, and if it is attached to the obsession to win, then we have what is usually called a "sore loser".

One of the biggest problems with this addiction is that it never satisfies. The person constantly desires more and more; winning never truly makes a person content, because they always want to win again, or win bigger than before. It gives one a sense of power, especially power over others ("I beat them!"). I am not speaking against the importance of the good desire to succeed; it all depends on the interior attitude that people have about their accomplishments. Do they simply appreciate doing what they are called to do, or do they have to have the win?

The final, and often deepest, level of this addiction is when the person has fallen into the sin of envy. For a "winning addict" envy can be especially destructive because it seeks not just to have what the other has, but also to make sure that the other person does not have it. This is seen when someone does not just want to win against others in a game, but they also desire that those other competitors do not win; ever, against anyone.

It is this selfish "intoxication" with success that drives many a politician. They do not necessarily care about the well being of their citizens; they just desire to get elected, again, and again. The euphoria they get when other people want them in office is hard to let go of, and often drives a person to do all kinds of evil -- like steal presidential elections.

This is all to say, there is a value in losing. How well do you appreciate it when you lose? Most get upset in various ways, but that should not be the case for us. If we "practice" losing, then we can handle it better when a big loss happens. How does one practice losing, you may ask? There is no perfect formula, but it is much like sacrifice. We find little sacrifices to help to accomplish greater sacrifice.

So, then, it is not the case that I want you to go out and find some suffering and misery, and then to immerse yourself. Yet, how often do you thank God for the suffering that He has chosen for your life? It is a good practice to start. The sufferings are all opportunities for spiritual growth, as are the opportunities of losing. If everyone saw this, they might stop the awful habit of asking God for their favorite team to win, and start asking that they would lose. Wow, what a shocking concept!