Did We Win in 2010?

If we kept the faith,

if we loved God,

if we loved others,

if we showed mercy,

if we forgave trespasses,

if we forgave ourselves,

if we stood back up after falling,

if we gave,

if we were a light in the darkness,

if we were the salt that flavored a life,

if we looked beyond ourselves,

if we met another's need,

if we fought the good fight,

if we persevered,

if we worshiped God,

if we honored Him,

if we gave Him glory,

if we simply believed Him...

...then we won.

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My pastor, Linda Silverman, declared this time last year that we were destined to win in 2010. She has repeated that phrase so often throughout the year. She preached many messages that prepared us for battle and launched us toward victory. As she has said many times, you can't win without a battle. You can't make the grade without being tested. You can't overcome unless there's an obstacle. Thank you, Pastor, for training us to be good soldiers.

Everyone that I know has faced battles in 2010. Some big, some bigger, some epic. As the year neared its close, I began to seek the Lord about whether we did win in 2010. What is written above is the answer that He placed in my heart. As I wrote it, I realized that His concept of winning may be just a little different than what we expected. Maybe we didn't win the lottery or that great job or promotion. Maybe we didn't win a new car, a new house or a new wardrobe. Maybe that illness remains. Maybe all our problems weren't miraculously solved and tied up with a pretty bow. But maybe, just maybe, if we can look at God's list of victories and find those that were true of our lives in 2010, then we can step into 2011 as winners.

Victory!

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