At a family dinner last week, I overheard one cousin ask another one this, about her recent dance competition:

Was it one of those competitions where you competed? Like for 1st or 2nd place?

The conversation then proceeded as normal.  She just wondered whether it was a competition with prizes or one where “everyone wins” or one where there are rankings when you’re done.  I get that.  But in the moment, I was struck by two words: 2nd place.

Nobody competes for 2nd place, do they?

If that’s your goal, any good coach would tell you you’ve sold yourself short.  Even if you’re not that good, you always start out competing for the grand prize.  No NFL team says, “We hope to lose the Super Bowl game this year.”  Coaches are honored and revered because they won the Super Bowl, not because they lost it.  Pitchers are remembered because they won the World Series.

Nobody dreams about ‘winning’ second place.

So why in our churches do we think it’s ok to aim for second place in areas like

  • leadership
  • church events
  • Sunday’s music
  • Sunday’s announcements
  • the resources we produce
  • the small groups we lead
  • the trainings we offer
  • the meetings we plan
  • the blogs we write
  • the conversations we have
  • our sermon series
  • our outreach initiatives
  • community impact

Does the Gospel make it ok for us to shoot for second? Because the message is so powerful, are we then given the freedom to not give our best effort to all areas of our life and ministry?  It’s tough to see how God is honored when we put forth half-hearted efforts.  Ever.

So let me be your coach today.  Don’t compete for 2nd place!  Give it all you’ve got!

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. – Philippians 3:14