by Angela Ruth Strong, @AngelaRStrong

The other day, I got an email from my publisher telling me I’m a finalist in a book competition. She congratulated me and encouraged me to post on social media. I’d never heard of the competition, so I waved it off with a: “That’s nice. Thanks.”

I forgot about it until this morning when I checked my email again and was like, “I guess I should share.” Now everyone is congratulating me online, and my agent raved about what a big deal this was. Really?

I’m reminded of what a counselor told me over a decade ago. “We tend to discount both our failures and our victories.”

Now that I’m thinking about it, I realize that’s definitely true about me. I know this because I failed at getting nominated for a different award not too long ago. I put a lot of effort into entering my book, I had high hopes, then when the finalists were announced, I did this mature thing called stick-my-tongue-out-at-every-nominee-name-wasn’t-mine.

My apologies to all of you who worked hard and deserve the award. Obviously, I didn’t possess the wisdom to be a gracious loser. Instead, I had writer friends look up the nominees and assure me my book was better. They helped me do exactly what my counselor predicted. They helped me discount my failure.

I still have a lot to learn about both winning and losing. And this week I’m learning from a Bible story I read that shows how dangerous it can be to discount our victories…

See, there was this guy named Jehu. He was a commander of the Israelite army. I picture him like Russell Crowe in Gladiator. Anyway, the prophet Elisha sent another prophet to go track him down and privately anoint him king.

The prophet left, and Jehu returned to his men. They asked (and it cracks me up), “Why did this maniac come to you?” Maybe because Jehu also thought of the prophet as a maniac, he discounted the victory. He actually discounted being anointed king—something people in his day fought over so desperately that, in comparison, it makes Game of Thrones seem as boring as a game of Monopoly.

Luckily, his men pressed the issue: “Tell us.” So Jehu was just like, “Here is what he told me: ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.’”

They didn’t discount his victory. According to 2 Kings 9:13, They quickly took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, “Jehu is king!”

From there it cuts to a scene that makes my heart thunder. Jehu and his men rode to take over the kingdom, and when the evil king saw him, he repeatedly sent out messengers to ask if Jehu was coming in peace. With every messenger, Jehu ordered, “Fall in behind me.” And they each joined Jehu’s army.

On that day, all prophecies were fulfilled about the end of Jezebel’s family and restoration to the nation. But this wouldn’t have happened if Jehu continued to discount his victory.

Though I’ve never been given a crown, there have been other victories I’ve discounted. When two of my books were both nominated for a Cascade Award, I asked the coordinator, “Were there not enough entries?” When my book was reviewed in World Magazine, I thought, “Who actually reads magazines anymore?” Both times I had to have others tell me how grateful I should be.

So today I will be grateful. And I want to encourage you to be grateful, as well.

Celebrating our victories will keep us going in spite of our failures. If we give up, we’ll miss out on future opportunities God has for us. We’ll also miss out on the joy of this amazing journey we get to travel—we’ll miss out on the beauty of our own life story.

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Husband Auditions

In a world full of happily-ever-after love, Meri Newberg feels like the last young woman on the planet to be single, at least in her Christian friend group. So when she’s handed a strange present at the latest wedding–a 1950s magazine article of “ways to get a husband”–she decides there’s nothing to lose by trying out its advice. After all, she can’t get any more single, can she?

Her brother’s roommate sees the whole thing as a great opportunity. Not to fall in love–Kai Kamaka has no interest in the effort a serious relationship takes. No, this is a career jump start. He talks Meri into letting him film every silly husband-catching attempt for a new online show. If it goes viral, his career as a cameraman will be made.

When Meri Me debuts, it’s an instant hit. People love watching her lasso men on street corners, drop handkerchiefs for unsuspecting potential beaus, and otherwise embarrass herself in pursuit of true love. But the longer this game goes on, the less sure Kai is that he wants Meri to snag anyone but him. The only problem is that he may not be the kind of husband material she’s looking for . . .

Angela Ruth Strong sold her first Christian romance novel in 2009 then quit writing romance when her husband left her. Ten years later, God has shown her the true meaning of love, and there’s nothing else she’d rather write about. Her books have since earned TOP PICK in Romantic Times, been optioned for film, won the Cascade Award, and been Amazon best-sellers. She also writes non-fiction for SpiritLed Woman. To help aspiring authors, she started IDAhope Writers where she lives in Idaho, and she teaches as an expert online at WRITE THAT BOOK.