Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Win, lose or Draw




"One warm evening during the past summer months Sister Ashton and I enjoyed a professional baseball game. During the early part of the competition our attention was diverted from the action by a late arriver. As he walked by, he spotted me and asked, 'Who's losing?' I responded with, 'Neither one.' Following my answer, I noticed that he glanced at the right-field scoreboard, saw the game wasn't tied, and walked on, undoubtedly wondering about me. Seconds after he made his way to a distant seat, Sister Ashton said, 'He doesn't know you very well, does he?' 'What makes you say that?' I replied. She responded with, 'If he did, he would know you don't believe anyone is losing. Some are ahead and some are behind, but no one is losing. Isn't that right?' I smiled in approval with a warm feeling inside. Proper attitude in this crisis-dominated world is a priceless possession. Never before is it more important for all of us to move forward with conviction. We may be behind, but we are not losing if we are moving in the right direction. God will not score our performances until the end of the journey."
--Elder Marvin J Ashton, "Who's Losing?" Ensign, Nov. 1974, 41