Winners Keep Trying and Praying

 

Life is filled with setbacks—missed shots, failed plans, unanswered questions. But being a winner isn’t about never falling short. It’s about refusing to quit, and trusting God enough to keep moving forward.

Michael Jordan reminds us that failure is not the opposite of success—it’s the path to it. Each miss, each stumble, becomes the training ground for the next victory. In the same way, our spiritual lives are marked not by perfection, but by persistence.

 " I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."   Michael Jordan 

As SZA says, we don’t control outcomes. What we do control is our intention, our will, and our heart. This is where prayer comes in. Prayer isn’t bargaining with God—it’s aligning our will with His, even when we don’t understand His ways. Timothy Keller put it well: “God will only give you what you would have asked for if you knew everything He knows.”

The book of Job reminds us that faith isn’t just a business deal with God—it’s a relationship where the reward is God Himself. Job said, “When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). In other words, the trial is not the end; it is the furnace where faith is purified.

And like Nephi, we can admit: “I know that He loveth His children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things” (1 Nephi 11:17). We may not always understand why, but we can always trust Who.

So, what makes a winner? It’s not flawless achievement. It’s the courage to ask questions, the humility to pray, and the faith to try again—believing that God is shaping us into something stronger, purer, and more beautiful than we can see now.

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👉 Reflection question: What’s one area of your life where God may be asking you not to “win” in the world’s eyes, but simply to keep trying and keep praying?