Who's losing?

A couple of quotes from several years ago. They're still appropriate:

Don't be discouraged at seemingly overwhelming odds in your desire to live and to help others live God's commandments. At times it may seem like David trying to fight Goliath. But remember, David did win."

--David B. Haight, Ensign, November 1977

 This next one made me chuckle.

"One warm evening during the past summer months Sister Ashton and I enjoyed a professional baseball game. During the early part of the competition our attention was diverted from the action by a late arriver. As he walked by, he spotted me and asked, 'Who's losing?' I responded with, 'Neither one.' Following my answer, I noticed that he glanced at the right-field scoreboard, saw the game wasn't tied, and walked on, undoubtedly wondering about me. Seconds after he made his way to a distant seat, Sister Ashton said, 'He doesn't know you very well, does he?' 'What makes you say that?' I replied. She responded with, 'If he did, he would know you don't believe anyone is losing. Some are ahead and some are behind, but no one is losing. Isn't that right?' I smiled in approval with a warm feeling inside. Proper attitude in this crisis-dominated world is a priceless possession. Never before is it more important for all of us to move forward with conviction. We may be behind, but we are not losing if we are moving in the right direction. God will not score our performances until the end of the journey."

--Elder Marvin J Ashton, "Who's Losing?" Ensign, Nov. 1974, 41

I remember a professional baseball game I attended in the summer of 1974 in Minneapolis, Minn. I attended with a group of LDS missionaries as guests of Harmon Killebrew for a Minnesota Twins game. We stood out because the young men were dressed in dark suits & ties & the women were in brightly colored dresses, not quite the normal attire for attending a professional baseball game or any kind of baseball game for that matter.

During the game the crowd started yelling & everyone stood up. My companion & I, both being short & not being able to see past the stalwart young men we were surrounded by, stood on the bleacher seats, just to see over their heads. The mission president started yelling, "Sit down! SIT down!" If our team was ahead, why would we want to sit down? It didn't make any sense, but being obedient, we sat down. Well, lo, & behold it had been a streaker running through the bleachers across the field from us. I wasn't even looking there!! I wanted to see what was going on out on the field. I missed the streaker completely, as did my companion. For that matter, we missed what was going out on the field too.