Are You Playing Not to Lose, or Are You Playing to Win?

In my profession as an executive coach and business consultant, this is the time of year that I’m emersed in helping my clients develop their business plans for the next 12 months. One of the biggest challenges facing each of my clients is trying to figure out where the economy is headed and how it might affect each of them concerning their respective businesses. With inflation running at 7%, the cost of materials going up, delays in gaining supplies, the challenge of sourcing new employees while trying to hang on to the ones they have, all amid a pandemic, this year is even more challenging for them.

When circuses came into prominence in the 1800s, they employed a tactic in their shows for mitigating the unexpected. When a performer got injured in a daring act, or when a wild animal got loose in the arena, the band would continue to play as if nothing had happened, and the ringmaster would keep the performance going to keep the audience calm and free from panic. Thus originated the phrase, “the show must go on.” The circus acts were choreographed and well planned out for success, not failure, but things didn’t always go as planned. It’s the same with us. We plan for success, but sometimes our plans go awry.

How do we deal with these unscripted disruptions that threaten to stop our show?

The circus is a dangerous, risky endeavor; so is life. Some, in an attempt to eliminate risk – which is always one of the key ingredients of success – plan for failure instead of success. I know it sounds silly. They aren’t doing it on purpose, they simply lose sight of the end game. They start with a good vision for their three-ring circus, but they begin to anticipate the worst, envisioning all the trapeze artists falling to the ground and all the animals escaping into the audience. The next thing you know they’ve abandoned their glorious vision and are now planning a kinder, gentler, virtual circus – by the way, the kind no one pays to attend – in an effort to eliminate all the “what ifs.” They retreat to a defensive posture and wait for the market to crash, the economy to tank, the next COVID variant, the mid-term elections, etc., while their vision dies on the vine.

There is a difference between planning for a rainy day and being prepared for one. I never plan for a rainy day, but I keep an umbrella in my car along with a rain jacket. I don’t ever plan to use either, but I have them just in case I need them. Planning for it to rain is known as “playing not to lose.” It’s playing defense with no thought of an offensive attack. Playing not to lose provides no forward momentum or power to effect change. It’s an attempt to control the things that are beyond our control – a losing proposition at best.

God calls us to play to win. We have a responsibility to act on what He has called us to do (see Eph 2:10), and accept the things that come our way once we’ve made our plans and have begun to act upon them. The apostle Paul played to win. He had a plan to win souls to Christ. His plan involved traveling by ship to get to his target audience. He didn’t plan to get shipwrecked, but he did – three times. He didn’t plan to be flogged, beaten with rods, pelted with stones, go hungry and thirsty, be cold and naked, but he was (see 2 Cor 11:24-29). He didn’t plan any of these, but he was prepared, because his calling – his plan – was bigger than his circumstances.

I was reading the book “My Utmost For His Highest” by Oswald Chambers this week and ran across this passage about how to fearlessly plan for the future. It resonated with me, especially concerning planning issues some of my clients are dealing with right now.

• Don’t plan with a concern for evil in mind: Does God mean for us to plan without taking the evil around us into account? “Love . . . thinks no evil” (1 Cor 13:4–5). Love is not ignorant of the existence of evil, but it does not take it into account as a factor in planning. 
• Don’t plan with a rainy day in mind: You cannot hoard things for a rainy day if you are truly trusting Christ. Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled” (Jn 14:1).

(To view the entire text from Chambers, click here.)

Here’s my takeaway from Chambers’ comments: God is love and He doesn’t plan for a rainy day; neither should we. The plan is in place, so let the show go on!

Being prepared for rain means having the right reserves (physically, mentally, financially); it means taking a raincoat and umbrella with you, not sitting at home because it might rain. You and I should be planning for a great future, not a free fall into the abyss. Just because there are clouds on the horizon, doesn’t mean you should abandon the vision God gave you.

We can wring our hands in anxiety, or we can raise our hands to the Almighty. He rewards our faithfulness, especially when we accept His invitation to take the next step into the unknown with Him by our side. God has promised us that He would be there every step of the way: “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged (Dt 31:8).”

When our calling and vision are clear and our confidence is in the Lord, the uninvited circumstances that come our way will be nothing except mere incidentals, as long as we stick to the plan.

Play to win this week in the game that really counts!