The Loser

Bill considered himself to be a loser. Everything he had ever tried to do had failed. He was 49 years old and both his marriages had broken up. His children hated him, and he was facing foreclosure on his home that he'd spent the last ten years paying for. To top it all off, Bill had just lost his job. True, it was a mediocre dead end job, but at least it had brought in a little money over the years.

This was it. The last straw. Sure he had spent many years dragging himself out of bed in the morning just to get to his boring, low paying job, but at least it had provided something for him to struggle with. A means of almost getting by. He had dreamed of a better life, but he was just too tired and it was too hopeless for him to even try. After all, he was a loser. He always had been and always would be. He had no talent, no ambition and even the little bit of hope he once had was gone. Now Bill was on the verge of becoming homeless. He just laid on his couch, lifelessly watching television until he drifted off.

Next morning when Bill awoke he began to pack up some of his things. He dug an old photo album out of his closet. He opened it to a faded photograph of his family. There he stood next to his brother Michael, who unlike Bill was semi successful. He looked at his mother, a passive woman with a fake smile. Then Bill focused on his father, a powerful man with eagle like eyes. Bill's father had known all along that Bill was "born to lose". In fact, the man had predicted failure for Bill from the very beginning. Bill's father had reminded him throughout his life that Bill was a "nobody". "Yes," Bill said, "You were right Dad. I've never amounted to anything."

Bill put the album away and kept digging in his closet until he found a black book that had become gray with dust. It was the bible his grandmother had given him when he was just a child. He remembered his grandmother fondly. She had never treated him like a loser. She had made him feel special, always hugging him and baking him treats.

Bill opened the bible and began to read. It was the least he could do after the kindness his grandmother had shown him. As he read, memories of the stories his grandmother had told him came flooding back. Bill began to realize that God had considered him to be so valuable that he actually sent his son Jesus to die for him. Bill accepted Jesus as his savior and kept reading. Soon he realized that God had given everyone talent. Bill's father was wrong! Even at his lowest point, Bill was never a loser. He knew anything was possible with God's help. It was time to succeed.