Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing–a well-known quotation in sports attributed to UCLA Bruins football coach Red Sanders back in 1950, often quoted by legendary Green Bay Packer coach Vince Lombardi.

I’m not a Yankees fan, having a father who once pitched in the New York Giants farm system, so we were National League fans back in the simpler days when there were only eight teams in each league. The league winners played in the World Series, which was over in early October. Now there are 15 teams in each league, and to get to the World Series, you have to make the playoffs and then win two playoff series. The World Series starts in late October. The Yankees came up a bit short this year, losing their second playoff series to the Astros in six games.

The Yankees now consider this season “a failure” because they didn’t win the World Series. And it’s the first calendar decade ever that the Yankees didn’t even appear in the World Series.

It’s the “failure” assessment that bothers me. What’s the balance between a strong desire to win and seeing the season as a failure if you don’t? It’s like Alabama’s reaction to Clemson’s winning the national championship after the 2016 season. “Clemson took something away from us.” No, it wasn’t yours to begin with. 

In life, have Bill and Melinda Gates failed if they haven’t eradicated polio or provided sanitation for all? Or is it OK to make progress? There’s the well-known starfish story where the kid is on the beach where thousands of starfish have been stranded. He’s picking up starfish and throwing them into the ocean when someone comes by and says, “What are you doing? You can’t save all those starfish! You can’t make a real difference! In response, the kid picks up another starfish, throws it into the ocean and says, “I made a difference for that one!”

Jesus chose 12 and lost 1. Here we are 2000 years later, and the world is still not completely reconciled to him. But it will be someday, and maybe in the meantime, all victories are partial. After all, when a team wins the championship, the first thing they talk about is doing it again next year. So for some people and teams, winning is never enough. And there’s only one contest worth winning anyway!

You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally. I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself. (1 Corinthians 9.24 – 27, MSG)

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3.13, 14, NIV)

At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. (Hebrews 2.9, ESV)