You Can Give up in Order to Win
- Category: Inner Happiness
- Date 31-08-2025
- 95 views
Like weather, life has seasons. The temperature cannot be constant; it may rise or fall from time to time. The weather may be unpredictable; sometimes it turns rainy when we are expecting sunshine or drought comes when rainfall is expected. Similarly, life occasionally delivers great victories when defeat seems eminent or elicits losses from seemingly profitableventures.
We tend to write off people who give up, not knowing that their actions may lead to unforeseen success. Giving up does not always mean losing the fight. People sometimes imagine that they have reached the end of the road. Parents may give up on a child they consider as spoilt. A spouse may abandon a partner that looks to be a disappointment. A labourer may give up a job they consider stressful. An activist may succumb to intimidation. Warriors may surrender to the enemy they perceive as overwhelming.
Ironically, cases like the above sometimes produce unintended results. A couple reunites after a serious break up and develop a stronger relationship, as though it was all they needed to become serious in their marriage. A person that was despised as a child grows up to become the pride of a household. A labourer who tenders a resignation gets an opportunity to negotiate for better terms of employment. A soldier that surrendered to the enemy eventually gains access to the basic intel to help them win the war. Scripture says, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (Psalm 118:22).
Alternatively, giving up may demonstrate someone’s understanding that, as a human being, his situation and ability cannot be permanent. The flowering season inevitably ends. A person may shine from childhood to old age but then realise the need to build other people’s capacity to keep the fire burning. This requires one to give way for new blood to take the mantle. Time comes in life when a person cannot continue to perform certain roles even though he may wish to excel forever. When an elder writes a will, he probably acknowledges the need to surrender the next phase of his dreams to the generation that can sustain them longer.
Equally, A person can give up as a form of protest and advocacy; to expose issues that require attention and correction. A hunger strike may put a protester’s life in danger but prompt the authorities to address the social problems in question. A person can give up liberty to maintain integrity - NelsonMandela spent twenty-eight years in prison for that reason and Uganda’s Kizza Besigye has taken the same path. The scripture further reveals a mother who ceded her own baby to an enemy tosave the boy’s life. Said the mother as she gave up the baby, “Please don’t kill my son … I love him very much but give him to her. Just don’t kill him” (1 Kings 3:26).
There is a story of a football team which intentionally scored 149 goals against itself to protest a referee’s perceived injustice. The aggrieved Madagascan team - SO l’Emerne (SOE) - had been denied the national championship title after a rival team was awarded a controversial penalty. In the final match, SOEmade history as they scored goals for their rivals - AS Adema - and lost 149 to nil. Whereas this is the biggest football goal margin ever, their action underscored the crucial need for competent and unbiased referees in any sport.
Throughout history, humanity adores those who endured suffering more than those who inflicted it. Success may come from failure. Strength may be demonstrated through weakness. Victory may come from defeat. Thus, counsels St Paul, “… For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:10).
By Venansio Ahabwe
Author, Teacher, Social Scientist.
Source: Leadership Magazine
Publication Date: July - August 2025
Read more at: https://www.venansioahabwe.com