The Epitome of "Win-Win"

As humans, especially nowadays, we are so consumed with our own virtue and our own lives. We desire the best job, the best family, the best look, even the way our coffees are made are so incredibly important to us. We desire a life full of joy and happiness with no problems. Though, many miss what will truly satisfy them and bring them joy. Being completely honest, who am I to be talking about this subject? I struggle with pride all the time. I, too, want a life full of constant joy and good, and I, too, have missed the mark on where to seek that joy.

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?’” – Matthew 16:24-26

In this verse, Jesus states this idea that if a man desires to live, he must oppose himself and follow Jesus with his life. Now, when I hear this, my heart is not quick to say, “Oh yeah, I’ll totally lose all of myself and give my life to You!” The idea of completely sacrificing who I am is scary! But, looking past my own pride, I believe there is something beautiful in the sacrificial giving of myself.

First of all, as a sinner, I know I have done an uncountable amount of things that are very displeasing to God. As humans, that is our nature. I also have innumerable problems that I know I cannot fix on my own. Catch that? I CANNOT FIX THEM ON MY OWN. From the emotions raging within, to the simple everyday annoyances, as a fallen human, I cannot bring myself to throw off all the feelings that come upon people every day. Not by my own strength. But you know who can? Jesus Christ, who gave himself completely and sacrificially, so He could take away those sins that we face every day and give us a life both here on this earth and in heaven that is way more than we could ever imagine.

Yes, I say both in heaven AND on earth. Why?

To give an example, I’ll tell a little story. About three years ago, I had a surgery to remove a benign brain tumor. While this sounds scary, God actually has used it for so much good and his glory. Ever since, I have had to have regular MRI scans to keep an eye on the part of my brain that was worked on to make sure everything is back to normal. This past summer, I went in to have another scan done in July and ended up needing to schedule an appointment to meet with my surgeon to talk about the possibility of operating on an area that could potentially be dangerous. Hearing this was very hard and I went through a time of mourning. One day between the time of hearing the news and the time of the actual appointment, I went out to lunch with my parents before church. We ate at a super adorable French restaurant and were served by a very sweet, spunky lady. She seemed fine throughout the time we were eating. In the middle of the meal, she came by and asked if she could get us anything else. All of a sudden, she noticed a henna tattoo that I gave my dad on his wrist that read: “G>^ᵛ” meaning “God is greater than the ups and the downs”. I had given my dad and my mom this tattoo the night before and had one on my wrist as well. Curious, she asked the meaning of the symbols. When we told her, she broke into tears. She explained how she was going through some personal problems with her family. This opened up opportunity for us to explain what was going on in my situation. Stunned, she was impacted by our story. God totally spoke to her and used us to impact her life and give her exactly what she needed. Being used unexpectedly by God like that was an unforgettable and truly joyful experience.

All that to say, when we are living our lives for God, we receive joy that is like no other. We feel purpose and satisfaction and pure joy, something that can only come from God, and HE gets the glory. This is the life on earth I was talking about. Now, heaven! Take a life with God on earth and amplify it by infinity and that is what heaven is like!

Notice something, when God received so much glory, we were most satisfied and joyful. This is my point, that a life full of giving glory to God and living for Him is the best life we could possibly imagine. It is our purpose to bring Him glory. How beautiful that God created us to be most joyful and satisfied when He is given the most glory! This is the epitome of a win-win situation.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

So that no one can boast. This verse demonstrates that God is the only one who gets the glory, while we are saved and full of unending joy. How beautiful!

So don’t fear losing yourself. In reality, it’s the best thing you can do for yourself.