John Henry Jowett wrote, “The hour of victory is a more severe moral test than the hour of defeat. Many a man can brave the perils of adversity who succumbs to the seductions of prosperity. He can stand the cold better than the heat! He is enriched by failure, but “spoilt by success.” To test the real quality of a man, let us regard him just when he has slain Goliath! “David behaved himself wisely”!
He was not “eaten up with pride.” He developed no “side.” He went among his friends as though no Goliath had ever crossed his way. He was not for ever recounting the triumph, and fishing for the compliments of his audience. He “behaved wisely.” So many of us tarnish our victories by the manner in which we display them. We put them into the shop-window, and they become “soiled goods.”
And in this hour of triumph David made a noble friend. In his noonday he found Jonathan, and their hearts were knit to each other in deep and intimate love. It is beautiful when our victories are so nobly borne that they introduce us into higher fellowships, and the friends of heaven become our friends.”
Doing what’s right might not bring you the most “friends”, but it will bring you the best. One friend like Jonathan is worth more than a thousand who glad-hand you when it’s to their advantage, but stab you in the back when it isn’t. The sad thing is that because of our foolish pride we often invite such people into our lives with open arms. Winning will result in losing when pride enters the picture. Gaining the admiration and applause of others might thrill you, but it poses a great temptation. Don’t allow your victory to cause your defeat! –HDS
