{"id":47,"date":"2016-06-23T08:00:26","date_gmt":"2016-06-23T08:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thefight\/?p=47"},"modified":"2016-06-17T20:13:30","modified_gmt":"2016-06-17T20:13:30","slug":"win-lose-god-still-loves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thefight\/2016\/06\/win-lose-god-still-loves.html","title":{"rendered":"Win or Lose, God Still Loves Me"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michael Chandler\u00a0fights to regain his Bellator\u00a0lightweight championship on June 24 in front of his hometown fans in St. Louis, MO. Chandler will face\u00a0Brazilian\u00a0contender\u00a0Patricky Freire\u00a0at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis as part of\u00a0Bellator 157 on SpikeTV at 8\/7pm Central.<\/em><\/p>\n

I am prepared to lose. I am prepared for the pain and anguish that go along with falling short. I am prepared to look back and have regrets. But I have never been more confident that I am going to win. I have never been more ready to be locked into a cage with another man in front of tens of thousands in an arena and millions watching on Spike TV. But in order to seize the glory and accomplishment what I desire, I must dare greatly. Only by accepting the possibility of failure can I truly give myself permission to let go and fight my fight.<\/p>\n

In order to finish this work I started years ago, I must chance the negative possibilities and embrace the uncertainty of the situation. Most of us are battling the same battle in one way or another. Some of us refuse to put ourselves out there because we\u2019re afraid others will make fun. Some of us are so afraid of failure that the paralysis of constant analysis stops us in our tracks and caps our potential. But is it not more admirable to dare and fail than never to have dared at all? Is it not an accomplishment in itself to charge headfirst into challenges even though you might fail? Is the person who has been a lifelong sideline spectator not marred by the regret of knowing neither accomplishment nor failure because he refuses to dare?<\/p>\n

What is it you\u2019re afraid of? When I approach a fight, there is a lot on the line. My health, my record, my bank account, my family\u2019s future, my ego, and much more could be at stake to some degree\u2026yet I fight anyway. I don\u2019t ask this to gloat, but why is it that I am willing to risk public humiliation and possible bodily harm? I\u2019ll tell you why: because my life isn\u2019t defined by wins and losses!<\/p>\n

Win or lose, great performance or horrible one, my God still loves me. My family still loves me. And I still love myself. Isn\u2019t this what it all boils down to? When you strip life down to the nuts and bolts, if you have those three things, what do you have to lose? With this perspective, the fear of losing pales in comparison to the freedom of enjoying the opportunity to pursue things you never thought possible. Liberation from the pressure of believing that losing is the end of the world produces the best version of you.<\/p>\n

Can I say I am fearless going into a fight? Absolutely not\u2026 but I sure am excited. Because win or lose, my God still loves me. My family still loves me. And I still love myself.<\/p>\n

To Your Success,
\nMichael Chandler<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Michael Chandler\u00a0fights to regain his Bellator\u00a0lightweight championship on June 24 in front of his hometown fans in St. Louis, MO. Chandler will face\u00a0Brazilian\u00a0contender\u00a0Patricky Freire\u00a0at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis as part of\u00a0Bellator 157 on SpikeTV at 8\/7pm Central. I am prepared to lose. I am prepared for the pain and anguish that go along…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":604,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[16,18,14,4,3,10,17,20,19,15],"class_list":["post-47","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inspiration","tag-bellator","tag-bellator-157","tag-god-loves-me","tag-iron-michael-chandler","tag-michael-chandler","tag-michaelchandler","tag-mma","tag-scotttrade-center","tag-spiketv","tag-win-or-lose"],"yoast_head":"\nWin or Lose, God Still Loves Me - The Fight<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/thefight\/2016\/06\/win-lose-god-still-loves.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Win or Lose, God Still Loves Me - The Fight\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Michael Chandler\u00a0fights to regain his Bellator\u00a0lightweight championship on June 24 in front of his hometown fans in St. Louis, MO. 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