Today’s passage offers a great paradox. Everything about it goes against everything we have ever been taught in our American culture. We have been encouraged to do our very best and win it all. We are never happy with losers. The teams we cheer for actually depress us when they don’t produce a winning season. We seem to take it personally as a culture. But Jesus tells us in today’s passage that we actually win by losing. We give up everything to gain God’s best. It is a struggle that every believer will face at one time or another. It is really a great paradox.