Since I’m pretty much at home all this summer working and whatnot, I’ve had the joy of being able to hang out with and get to know the kids in my college fellowship (Ambassadors!) at my home church. Sounds silly, but I forgot how much I missed them and missed being here.

And when I used the word ‘joy,’ I used it thoughtfully. I am very thankful to God for the time I have had to spend with them so far this summer, most notably at our spring retreat a few weeks back. Two huge differences I noticed between these kids and my Pittsburgh ones: the first being that they are the most ridiculously and creatively funny people I have ever known (really, sometimes I almost pee in my pants from the laughter), and the second being that they can turn any and every game into intense competition.

Uno? We’ve turned it into a lightning fast cut-throat group uno.

Giants, Wizards, & Elves? We don’t just tag the other team like we did when we were young, we pick ‘em up then play tug-of-war using their extremities.

Musical Chairs? This is no childrens’ game; it was the most violent and unmerciful game we played all retreat. People leave with cuts, bruises, and battle wounds.

Scatttergories? The whole room starts chanting “X! X! X!” at people whenever there’s a debate.

Mini Olympics? In an event that lasts only a couple hours, loyalty is fierce, strategy is keen, and defeat is unacceptable.

Victory is important, but of course it is all in great fun and is friendly in nature. Throughout the Mini Olympics, one team (the Green Team) celebrated victoriously after every game no matter what the result. If they win? Jubilant jumping and high-fives and bear hugs and loud cheering. If they lose terribly? Jubilant jumping and high-fives and bear hugs and loud cheering.

And all the rest of us would watch in both confusion and amusement, secretly wishing we could ‘win’ all the time like they did.

I think the Green Team painted a vivid picture of what it ought to be like to follow after Christ and to put your faith in God. If we truly believe in his reality and his Word, then we already know that in the end, we are victorious. We have victory over death, victory over evil. The implications? We should celebrate victoriously after every game no matter what the result. If we win? Jubilant jumping and high-fives and bear hugs and loud cheering. If we lose terribly? Jubilant jumping and high-fives and bear hugs and loud cheering. And not only so, we start to look at life events differently, we start to look at our days differently.

We start to live differently.

We start to live like we have won.

We start to praise God for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health.

“If God is for us, who can be against us? In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8: 31, 37-39)

I hope that is as freeing of thought for you as it is for me.