When Accepting Defeat Is Winning

 

You get a feeling when you know that the challenge you have been facing may have gotten the better of you.  This may sound strange, but it's a feeling of resignation and relief.  

The resignation comes when you know that you can't win and that all of your striving up to that point, though admirable, was not enough to overcome the moment's challenge.  

You might find the courage and the strength to continue the struggle, but you know it's all but over.  It's time to retreat to your corner, head back to the locker room, lick your wounds, or whatever metaphor works for you.  

And that's when the relief washes over you.  

The relief is your mind's way of telling you that whatever futility you may have felt has served a purpose somehow.  You don't have to keep fighting.  You can surrender and let go of whatever has kept you in the fray. You can finally rest.   

But the relief can also help us another way that can get lost if we resort to focusing on the momentary defeat.  Feeling relief can teach us we aren't done; we just need a break.  We will live to fight another day.  

I recently read a wonderful quote from the poet Ranier Maria Rilke that served as the inspiration for this Devo, and I'd like to share it: 

The purpose of life is to be defeated by greater and greater things.  

You might think, "That doesn't sound inspirational, Leon.  Why would you want to share a quote about being defeated?"   

Two things come to mind. First, defeat is a part of life. We all lose, and sometimes, we lose a lot more than we win. There are also times when we win and lose. Life is life-y, and all of this is complicated. 

This quote also has a subtlety that needs some unpacking. 

It all comes down to the word "greater." Wilke is working on a couple of levels of meaning here.  

There is the idea that if we are going to find our purpose in life, we will have to struggle, overcome obstacles, etc., and we won't win all of those challenges, but we keep striving, keep coming back, and keep being "defeated" by greater and greater things.  

In other words, this line can serve as a reminder that if you are dedicated to keep moving forward, you will discover more worthy adversaries as you go.  It's like a video game where each level has a boss you must defeat to move to the next level.  

Usually, on those levels of a video game, it takes a few tries before you can defeat the "boss," and you learn something new about how to beat them each time you try and fail. 

However, another less obvious layer of meaning could be even more powerful.  

If we are open enough to keep striving to find victory over life's challenges on our own strength, we might discover that we can be "defeated by greater and greater things" like love, hope, devotion, and grace, to name a few. 

This is at the heart of Wilke's quote.  It's the more profound meaning that hits the hardest.  

Are we really willing to be overcome by love?  Are we open to being overwhelmed by grace?  Would we lay down our arms to be defeated by peace?  

These questions get to the heart of what it means to be human and, even further, what it means for those of us who say that we follow Jesus and want to be more like him.  

When we give up our notions about what it means to win or lose, we often find that the journey of following Jesus is a race to the bottom, so to speak.  It's losing your life to find it.  It's not about being first or being in control.  

If we are willing to surrender our lives and our outcomes, we will almost assuredly find that we are more open and vulnerable. Still, that vulnerability will enable us to let what is eternal take root in our souls.  

May we all discover what it means to lose to win.  May we keep journeying after Jesus, facing every challenge with courage and hope  

And may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us now and forever. Amen.