You’ve heard, no doubt, people use the phrase “I’m a survivor.” There was a period of time in my life when that’s how I thought of myself, a survivor. Many people define a survivor as an individual who lives through adverse circumstances. Yes, I was a survivor for years. I don’t necessarily count that as a good thing however. When I think how I lived through various situations, I have to admit that it wasn’t really living at all – it was more like hanging on by the skin of my teeth – there no “quality” of life; I wasn’t really living.
When a fighter can’t stick it out to the end of the fight his trainer throws in the towel. Throwing in the towel signifies that he has conceded – given up. He’s going to “survive” the fight (which of course is good), but he’s definitely not going to win; he forfeited his chances when the towel hit the mat. He fought toward victory and didn’t just lose the fight, he lost hope; he survived.
A champion, a prize fighter - a warrior – however fights from a different perspective. He’s got the belt. He’s got the title. He fights from a place of victory. The champ may one day meet his match; he may even lose the belt, but every fight – from the moment he took inherited his title – is fought from victory. Case in point: Mohammad Ali – people still refer to him as the champ, “The greatest.”
Today, I’m not a survivor. Today I’m a thriver. Today, I fight my battles from a place of victory – the victory I have in Jesus. The enemy meets me on the mat and tempts me to throw in the towel; he tries to convince me that I’m a loser, that I should switch teams. I’d rather fight than switch. Today, I’m a warrior; I am a champ. I have inherited a title: “Child of God.”
“But thanks be to God, Who in Christ always leads us in triumph [as trophies of Christ's victory] and through us spreads and makes evident the fragrance of the knowledge of God everywhere,” 2 Cor. 2:14 AMP.
