Definitions Matter

Taj McWilliams-Franklin

On last Thursday evening into early Friday morning, the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team won an "ugly" game against a less than stellar opponent.  Afterward, one of the Gophers was quoted (here) as saying, "An ugly win is better than a pretty loss." Friday evening, the Minnesota Lynx struggled early against a weaker opponent and had to pull out a victory in the second half. One of the Lynx's players, Taj McWilliams-Franklin, said (here) of the game, "Champions find ways to win in the face of challenges.'' She went on to say, "Michael Jordan had his moments when he didn't play well against lower teams, but he found ways in the end."

In sports, these sentiments are hardly remarkable.  Whatever the sport, its players play to win.  Good teams and good players have off days, but they still need to find a way to win.  It is better to win ugly than to loose pretty.  As a rule, it is better to play poorly but come out on top rather than playing well but still lose the game.

The question is whether or not this basic rule translates well into the rest of life and especially into the church.  A case can be made that it does, even for church folks.  "Winning ugly" suggests a scrappy, never-say-die attitude that works through adversity.  It also reflects a certain level of self-confidence and creativity when these qualities are especially necessary.

There is a difference, however, between winning ugly in sports and winning ugly in the church, and that difference is in the definition of "winning".  In the church, "winning" is often a matter of losing, coming out second rather than first, giving credit rather than getting it, remaining silent and in the background, and pursuing the example of Christ, the ultimate servant of all.  The thing is, this kind of "losing" has all of the marks that sports folks equate with "winning".  In the Kingdom, it is the losers who win and the winners who lose.  Amen.