Playing With a Losing Hand
Both of my grandpas were farmers outside of the small town of Scotland, South Dakota. Both of them worked hard and they both had a real, down-to-earth faith in God. And both of them also loved to play Pinochle. So much so that as a child my brother and I were taught to play Pinochle before we could even hold the cards. Some of my earliest memories are of sitting down at the kitchen table, having a box of greeting cards put in front of me turned upside down, and learning how to organize my hand by sticking the Pinochle cards in the slots of the underside of the box.
Our family still plays Pinochle when we gather during the holidays. There are a million other board games we could play together, but instead, almost every evening after the kids are put down to bed, we find ourselves playing game after game of Pinochle. One of the lessons of playing Pinochle, and every other card game, is how to play when you have a losing hand.
What is a losing hand? A losing hand is a hand that from the moment you see your cards you know that you do not have a chance. You are not going to move towards victory with the hand that you are dealt. Sometimes it just so happens that you do not have the right cards in the right combination to score many points. One of the skills to learn in any game is that there are some things you can do when you are dealt a losing hand so that you do not lose the whole game. I want to share a few strategies for what to do when you have a losing hand.
You see, for those of us in ministry right now, this last year has been the ultimate losing hand. COVID has dealt us a blow that now, as we near a year from when this started, many of us are starting to realize that this hand we were dealt was a loser from the start. People could not gather. When people did start to gather some were so risk-averse that they stayed away. Those on the other extreme would not make concessions on things like wearing masks to allow for space for the risk-averse. And as our churches divided over what to do each week, much of the world hunkered down away from the gatherings we did try and put on.
So instead of feeling like a failure at this moment because you could not win with a losing hand, I want to share with you 3 things you can do when you have a losing hand that will help you as you transition towards thinking of post-COVID ministry:
Stop beating yourself up: The danger of a losing hand is that you start to think that you are a loser because you have that hand. COVID is the hand we were dealt. All the pastors and church planters I know did the best they could with the hand they were dealt. So, do not beat yourself up if it feels like you are losing right now. It was inevitable.
Minimize your losses: There are strategies you can take so that even though you lose the hand you don’t lose the game. Do not overreact to your current circumstances but instead faithfully live out the call that you know you have. Manage your expectations so that you and your people have an accurate picture of the difficulties you are going through. Just naming this season as a losing hand can help us look forward to a future where we have a different set of circumstances to live out.
Do not quit: This is probably the most important point. If you are beating yourself up and looking at your losses as permanent you will likely quit. But you need to remember though our current circumstances were a losing hand more opportunities are being brought to us each day as our circumstances change. And we have the ultimate advantage in that we serve a God who was and is and is to come, who reigns supreme over all our circumstances, and we know will be victorious in the end. So, persevere through all of these difficulties. Stay in the game.
I can still picture my grandpas when they had a losing hand. The frustration on their faces. A hand hitting the table in anger. They were competitive. They wanted to win. And as the hand finished, the scores were tabulated, the cards were reshuffled and a new hand was dealt, their demeanor shifted as hope rose that the next hand would be better than the last.
Kyle Magstadt
Associate Superintendent for Church Multiplication
North Central District of The C&MA