Winning and Losing

You know those giveaways that we sometimes enter, knowing deep down that we will probably not win, but honestly hoping that this time this time it will be your name they call?

Yeah, I'm falling prey to about six of those right now.

It's really annoying.

There's a scene in Chariots of Fire between Harold Abrahams and Sybil Gordon. She's comforting/chastising him after he loses a race and freaks out. Harold says, "If I can't win, I won't run." And Sybil immediately responds with "If you don't run, you can't win."

I loved that scene. Still do, really. And to a certain extent, it's true.

But it also sets a dangerous precedent.

This is how people get caught up in gambling. They know the odds (and they are astronomical), but as long as there is the slimmest chance of winning, they believe it could happen.

Now, I'm not saying that entering a drawing or signing up for a giveaway is akin to gambling (though I'm still not sold on raffles).

But they still put you on the path of depending on luck instead of buckling down and working to improve your own lot.

And they are hard to resist.

For example, Dave Ramsey sent me an email recently with the subject line of "Not opening this email could cost you $5,000."

How do you not open that email and give them your name?

Look, I would love to win one of these. I'm in desperate need of extra funds.

But if I do win, what does that do to me? Do I start relying on luck to get me out of a jam instead of learning from and paying for past mistakes?

I don't know.

And if I continue not winning, what does that do to me? Is there such a thing as too much false hope? Does the constant cycle of rising hope and crushed dreams have a horrible psychological effect?

I don't know.

But I do know that I can't live like something or someone is going to bail me out. (Not even the government.) Sure, extra money would be welcome. But I shouldn't be sunk if I don't get it.

I would still really, really like to win one of these giveaways, though. 

Spiritual warfare isn't always an obvious attack.

And it's not always an ambush.

Sometimes, it's an insidious, subtle worm of fear and doubt that creeps in to steal your joy and peace and contentment.

Sometimes, it's a heavy mist that obscures all bright visions of the future.

Sometimes, it's an oppression of the spirit, a weight on your chest.

A mouth sewn shut.

Blahgust

Is there such a thing as the August blahs?

(That was a clever title, wasn't it?)

Your only accepted response here is to say yes.

Obviously the August blahs exist because I have them.

July was exciting. July was high risk. July was high reward. July was busy.

But August. August is desperation. The need to get in that last hurrah. August is the other side of the hump, and instead of seeing Friday, you're seeing Winter.

And you're not ready.

I'm feeling that disconnect again. It comes and goes. It's when it sticks around that it's a problem.

Normally, I'd have something to distract me. But August is just...

Blahgust.