The Secret to Winning with a Losing Hand

“I’ve got 2 and a possible.”

If you’ve ever played the game of Spades, you’ve either said these words or heard your partner say these words.

These words mean you’re highly confident that two of your cards will win, and there’s another card that could possibly win – depending on your partner’s hand.

Now, while “2 and a possible” is an OK hand in the game of Spades, there are those times when you’re dealt a “1 and a possible”, “a possible”, or a “catch me on the next hand”.  Reminds me of this game we call Life.  We don’t get to choose the hand we’re dealt – life happens.

But, the beauty of Life, and Spades is: We get to choose our partner.

And, if we choose wisely, we’ll always have a better chance at winning – no matter what hand is dealt.

That’s because a good partner’s got your back. A good partner covers you, picks up your slack when your best play falls short, and/or creates opportunities for a weak play to walk and win.

Though I can’t sit across from Him at the Spades table, I’ve chosen Jesus Christ as my Life Partner. And in doing so, I win even if I don’t have “a possible” – and you can too! Here’s how, and why…

The Mystery of Triumph with Jesus

I must be honest. Having Jesus as a Partner really gives you an unfair playing advantage in the game of Life. How so? Well, in life, we’re taught the principles of order and priority – this must come before that. We’re taught the principles of earning and paying dues in order to reach a deserving or worthy status.

With Jesus, life will defy the generally-accepted Rules of the Game. Life becomes subject to the game’s Creator and Architect, who has the ultimate authority to not only modify, change, or tweak the rules, but to do so in your favor.  Those logically-losing hands in life, where the masses would agree “Yep, s/he’s doomed”, become mysterious stories of victory and triumph through Jesus Christ.  Don’t believe me?

How can Stephanie Fast, orphaned at age 4 and left for dead, now flourish as a speaker, author, and advocate for today’s orphans? Jesus is her Partner!

How can Nicholas Vujicic, born without arms or legs, thrive as husband, father, and international speaker, sharing his unstoppable faith? Jesus is his Partner!

There are countless other witnesses who can testify that Jesus Christ is the secret sauce! Their perceived losing hands in life have turned into phenomenal wins.

Jesus for the Guaranteed Win

“So, how does Jesus do it?”

Like any successful partnership, it takes cooperation. Jesus doesn’t do it for us or make us cooperate, we win with Him through faith and obedience.

I like to think that the success of our partnership with Jesus Christ is driven by His perspective and our perception – perspective being the special way in which Christ views us; perception being the way in which we interpret and give meaning to Christ’s perspective.

What is Jesus’ Perspective?

God’s plans for you are more important than what happens to you.

Christ is driven by His love for us. Every move, every plan, every event is orchestrated with an expected winning ending. Even when we make mistakes, the focus is never so much on our actions, but how Christ can turn negative actions into possible opportunities to glorify God.

Made a wrong turn? Lean on your Partner! With Jesus, our destiny is doom-proofed; the journey will conform to God’s plan for our life, not isolated incidents of bad decisions.

What is Our Perception?

Even when I lose, I win.

Are there really any bad cards in the deck of life, with Jesus as our Partner? We have to shift our definition of success, or winning, to the way Jesus views it. Our hyper-sensitivity to material things and the world’s standards can skew how we define a win. Our Partner, Jesus Christ, can turn every loss – of things, people, or opportunities – to work in our favor in ways we could never imagine.

So, if you have accepted Jesus Christ as Partner, Savior, and Lord – and your life looks like a loss to you – ask your Partner to shift your perception. Interpret the job loss as an opportunity to start that dream business. Give meaning to that breakup that your ideal, loving mate can now enter your life. Consider it an honor to be trusted with that illness and still bring glory and honor to God while healing manifests.

So, what’s the play call?

With Jesus on our side, every “possible” will walk, and every hand is a win (2 Corinthians 2:14).

Play to win, Team!