Article March 20, 2017 Issue

Win the game, or win at life?

Peter Paciorek

What does it truly mean to win? As a lifelong Christian Scientist and a member of a family that has seen nine professional athletes over the past two generations, I know the desire for winning, and the idea of winning, has taken on different meanings in my life. At times I have felt the pressure of an incessant urge to win at all costs, and other times winning has meant placing an emphasis on my own and everyone’s ability to express and demonstrate the excellence and dominion we all naturally have as children of God.

In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy states a higher sense of where our motivations should lie: “If divine Love is becoming nearer, dearer, and more real to us, matter is then submitting to Spirit. The objects we pursue and the spirit we manifest reveal our standpoint, and show what we are winning” (p. 239).

When I was a young child competing in athletics, I was taught to always be humble and to respect my opponents. However, it was difficult for me not to view the opposition as an obstacle impeding my end goal of winning. During those early years of competition (and even later on as a professional athlete), losses were seen as failures because the other team or opponent had scored more points, runs, goals, or swum or run faster than I had.

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