Is winning important?
I suppose it is hard to say 100% that it is all about the participation, and not the results. And it’s not just in a sports competition, it can be academic achievements, financial net worth and whether you have what the world thinks a winner looks like.
What Numbers 27 Taught Me about (Not) Winning
Moses said to the Lord, “May the Lord, the God who gives breath to all living things, appoint someone over this community to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”
Numbers 27:15-17 (NIV)
Moses did not look like a winner here. From the outside, he seemed pretty much like a loser. He had to run for his life and lived in exile in Midian for 40 years. When God called him to bring His people out of slavery, Moses led them another 40 years in the wilderness.
And Moses did not cross over to the promised land.
What’s the lesson for us in Numbers 27?
As always, I believed that to God, it is the heart 🧡 that matters. Moses might not have crossed over, but he finished well. Well enough that he was at Jesus’ transfiguration. Here’re 3 things I learnt is more important than winning.
3 Things in Life that Matter more than Winning – Lessons from Numbers 27
Completing the Mission
Have you put in a lot of effort into the project and want to see it to fruition? What’s the WHY that keep you going? For me, working on this and Facebook community, membership site, it’s about:
- Sharing that the bible is a living Word
- Helping others to experience the joy of knowing that God knows, through the bible coming alive to comfort them
- Creating tools e.g. bible journal workbooks that help with the faith journey
And none of it is actually about winning.
But it’s not easy. When we get down to it, we want to see followers, page views, engagement and call to actions that work 💪 But in Numbers 27, I’m reminded that the mission far outweighs personal ambition. So here’s a journal prompt for you:
How can I focus on completing my mission/ project instead of “accolades” that the world measures success?
#1 Journal Prompt for Mission
Serving Others
In Numbers 27, we can see that Moses clearly cared about the Lord’s people. Over the years, I find that when I focus on others, a lot of the pressure to succeed fades away as the energy is now on helping others.
Moses didn’t need to be the one who led, but was concerned about having someone to lead the people.
Here’s the second journal prompt for you:
What is my WHY? Who do I feel passionately about serving and who can I collaborate with who share the same passion for this cause?
#2 Journal Prompt on Service
Following God
Most of all, we recognize that God is sovereign. And here we can see that Moses did not try to bargain or plead his way to the promised land. He knew it to be true, and called God as the one who gives breath to all things. This is a reminder to follow God but as someone who hasn’t quite heard God for first 15 years, it’s not always easy to know how to follow. This is how I’m committing, so that I may better see that “cloud” to follow.
- Read bible devotion daily
- Memorize bible verse weekly
- Pray & have a bias for action to serve, trusting that God will always re-direct if I’m on the wrong track!
Here’s another journal prompt for you:
How can I learn to pray, take action, reflect and then be more attuned to how to follow God in this?
#3 Journal Prompt on Following God
At the end of it all, it’s the heart that matters
Mei @thecluelessjournal
Try journaling through the above 3 prompts. Remember that in all the great faith stories in the bible, action is always needed.
When it is More than Winning
Numbers 27 Journaling Prompt
What does success look like to you?
What is one simple routine that you can take to do something and let it be a faith journey with God? e.g. checklist, journal, bible insights
God, I really don’t know how to be successful by doing this. Some days, it feels like an exhausting hobby to keep up all the content creation & engagement. But I started out because You spoke, and so I will press on, amen.
Books on the Journey
I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
I found these books about pursuing mission/passion which have received positive reviews 💪
