Accepting Defeat as a Momentary Setback

In the time of darkest defeat, victory may be nearest– William McKinley. Defeat–we all experience it from time to time. We have a goal in mind, try to reach it, do our utmost to reach it and we fail. The important thing is to get up and try again. Maybe that was the wrong direction to begin with and defeat is simply a re-routing onto a different pathway to reach that goal. Or, it could be the goal needs to be changed. The important thing is not to give up.

My Scripture reading this morning was on the Israelites in the land of Egypt. The pharaoh  had made life arduous and unbearable. Moses was to lead them out of slavery into freedom. God sent one plague after the other upon the Egyptians. Almost, the pharaoh let them go, but then he would change his mind. Don’t you know the people felt defeated and ready to give up? But, at last, the Lord told them to get their things together and be ready to leave. After having their hopes dashed so many times, they were not to remain defeated but to look forward with hope. Freedom and victory were on the way.

I wonder how many experiments were run before Mr. Ford made the first successful car? How many times was he defeated in getting things to work? We all remember the stories of Ben Franklin’s experiments with lightning but he finally proved that lightning is electricity. (If you haven’t read the fanciful story, Ben and Me, I think you’d enjoy it.)

When I was learning to tat, my many attempts were cataloged by a lot of miserable failures, knots and wasted thread, but at last, I got it! Amazingly, a completed snowflake of thread appeared.

It’s fun to watch a baby learn to walk; rather scary too because he suffers so many falls, bumps, and failures. Yet, little by little, he achieves his goal and is navigating around the house faster than Mom. He fell, but he didn’t stay down. Even after a few disasters, he kept on keeping on.

black-eyed Susans

As a writer, sometimes my best efforts are met with defeat. I try, but for one reason or another that lovely thought or plot just doesn’t go anywhere. If I gave up, retired my computer, and went in another direction, I would be defeated in my goal. But defeat is not a nice place to be. It teaches lessons, sometimes hard lessons, but it’s not somewhere I’d want to live forever. The only option is to keep trying. Defeats should be thought of as stepping-stones, not stumbling blocks. Getting up off the floor and trying one more time will ultimately lead to victory.

Answer to today’s mini-mystery: I learned to drive on an old Universal International truck with a stick shift–a gear shift in the floor board. My starts were full of jerks and spasms; my stops were sudden and abrupt and that tough old vehicle almost defeated me–almost, but not quite. Finally, I got the hang of it and was zipping around over country roads, dodging rocks and tree limbs, and having the time of my life. Victory!