Arthur Ashe was one of the greatest tennis players who ever lived. He won five Grand Slam tennis titles, including Wimbledon. He reached this level of success even though he was a black man who had to overcome racism in the South. As a young boy, he was not allowed to use certain athletic facilities because of the color of his skin. 

He died at the young age of 49, having contracted AIDS through blood used in a surgery on his heart. From all accounts, he was a humanitarian who worked hard to improve the lives of others. 

I was surprised to see a quote attributed to this man, who was driven to succeed in whatever he did. He said, “You’ve got to get to the stage where going for it is more important than winning or losing.” One would think that winning was all that mattered for someone who won five Grand Slam titles and left an impressive list of other accomplishments during his brief life.  

We cannot ask him what he meant, but I think I know. He probably had tennis in mind. He was saying that if you want to be a success in tennis (or any other endeavor), you cannot start that process by counting the number of championships you will win. That is not your goal. Your goal is to play the game and perform to the best of your ability. Maybe you’ll win Wimbledon. Perhaps you won’t. Maybe you’ll lose every tournament you enter. That’s not what is important. Learn the game. Learn to love it and the competition it provides. Play for the enjoyment of it. See how wonderful the game is, and desire to be a part of it. Who knows where it will lead? An adventure lies ahead of you. Just go for it!  

Ashe meant that you cannot measure your success on the tennis court by the number of trophies you win or lose. Those are standards that are, to a large degree, beyond your control. 

It struck me that the Christian life is like that. How would the world measure success in Christian service? What would the world view as important? It would be the number of accolades we receive. How many have we led to the Lord? How big is the ministry we lead? How many credentials have we acquired? How many are impressed by our lists of accomplishments? 

None of those things measures success in serving the Lord. At the end of 1 Cor 3, Paul mentions several men, including himself, who were involved in Christian ministry. Then, at the beginning of 1 Cor 4, he describes these men as servants and stewards, adding: “It is required in stewards that one be found faithful” (1 Cor 4:2). Paul does not mention numbers or the size of a steward’s ministry. The Lord made the same point. The faithful servant does what His master tells him to do (Matt 24:45-46). 

Every believer is called to serve the Lord. Isn’t, “Go for it” the very essence of what Paul and Christ are saying? Don’t set as your goal the number of people you will serve. Don’t measure success by some artificial standard that you may or may not obtain. See serving the Lord for what it is. It is wonderful. There is joy involved in serving the King. An adventure lies ahead. Just do it. 

A teenaged believer will serve in one way, a mom in another. A retired Christian who has health problems will labor differently. Trophies are irrelevant. Do it because you want to serve Him. 

Ashe was saying that he would have been a success at tennis even if he had never won a title. The believer will be successful if he steps onto the court as a faithful servant of the King. That is the most important thing.