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By Dean Kelly

Minister, Highland Home Church of Christ

With seconds left in overtime, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, threw a TD pass to Mecole Hardman to win the Super Bowl. It capped a 75-yard drive that took less than two minutes and broke the heart of San Francisco 49er’s fans. He released that pass, and it truly was for the win.

We have a little class I call my Front Pew Crew on Sunday mornings right before Bible Class. Two questions I always try to ask my kids are these: “What is failure?” and “What is success?” 

The answers that we always emphasize are, “Failure is not going to heaven” and “Success is going to heaven.” I want these young people to grow up understanding that true success has nothing to do with how much money they make, how popular they are, how big their houses are, how powerful they become or how well-known they become. It has everything to do with what comes after this life is over.

Jesus puts it this way: “…Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:24-27).

Every child dreams of accomplishing some great thing — being a world-famous singer or actor; hitting the game-winning home run in the World Series; nailing that game-winning three to win that championship, etc. We need to be instilling a dream of one day being in the very presence of God. 

As the old hymn says, “How beautiful heaven must be!”

So, through the path of the cross we can go, and that is truly for the win.