Losing is not for the faint-hearted. It takes its toll on your mind, your emotions, and your body, no doubt about it. It literally takes a champion at heart to lose, because you have to have a lot of courage to face the battering of your self-esteem. And your finances. And your heart.

If you’re currently in the middle of losing, or have ever been the loser, I have a few things to say to you.

First of all, don’t feel like the Lone Ranger on a dead horse in the desert. You are not the only one stranded in that hot dry sand right now, and there are millions who have already stood where you stand. And millions more who will. The stark fact is that we all face loss at one time or another.

You probably won’t appreciate this next statement, if you are in the middle of your loss right now.  But here it is.

Your loss is not the most important fact, no matter how lousy it is making you feel about your life. What is a more important fact that you know? You will survive! And you will actually gain from that loss! Because it will teach you that you have courage, the gravel in your gut, to take such a knockout blow and still be alive in spite of it all.

Realizing that you are courageous and a survivor is vital. Life doesn’t play fair, and for you to know that “I survived disaster once, so I know I can do it again,” is a self-knowledge that will serve you well the next time Life decides to try to kick in your teeth. You will hurt, yes, but you will also know that pain doesn’t have to kill you. Eventually you will be able to pick yourself up, and start over. The word that describes that, folks? Courage.

And that very same courage that it takes to fail and begin again is part of our DNA as American citizens. Untold losses and failures happened in the lives of our courageous fore-fathers who built this country, one pain-filled step at a time. They survived, and so can we. They eventually thrived and built a great nation. And so can we. If we stay true to what our forefathers taught us - to just keep working, trusting, and surviving the pain of loss.

And that leads to the last thing. Remember, the Creator is on your side. But He has a plan for your life, and it includes winning and also losing at times. Winning feels great, but losing builds courage and character. That’s undoubtedly why He planned each life with wins and losses built into it. He never wants us to stay like toddlers, who don’t have the ability to mature and withstand heartache. Our Creator wants us to grow strong and courageous.

Scary stuff, so develop the courage to lose.