“The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20, NRSV).
order to eliminate one another from the game.
The values that allow many survivors to win run counter to the principles highlighted in Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Paul wrote, “The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20, NRSV). John Wesley characterized this kind of life as a “living faith.”
Wesley wrote that that those who pursue a living faith set their affections on the things above, not on things on the earth. Such persons live by the highest standard as defined by Jesus: the love of God and the love of neighbor. These twin pursuits seek not to outwit, outplay, and outlast others but to follow the example of Jesus by unselfishly thinking of others before you think of yourself (see Philippians 2:3). For Jesus, winning is not a matter of competition as it is about collaboration.
One of the most moving scenes I have witnessed took place at the Paralympic Games in 1996. A group of runners competed against one another in a short-distance race. As the starting gun sounded, the runners took off.
Yet, one of the participants fell to the ground and badly scraped her knee. As the others moved quickly down the track, one runner looked back and saw the girl lying on the ground, writhing in pain. To the crowd’s surprise, this lone runner turned back in order to help her injured
friend. One by one, the other runners did the same.
Then, to the crowd’s delight, the girl was hoisted onto her feet by her fellow participants and together, they all walked down the track, arm-in-arm and crossed the finish line to a standing ovation. On that particular day, there were no losers. All of humanity won.
Prayer
Today, O Lord, grant me the mindset of Jesus. Help me to consider the needs of others before I think of my own. Grant me the wisdom and compassion to live according to the highest standards of Jesus. Through Christ I pray. Amen.