As near as I can tell, there is generally only one way in which we always win, though the victory is often bitter-sweet.
In re-reading Job's story, I'm slowly coming around to the idea of always living up to one's ideals and personal integrity, no matter what or what the situation or possible outcomes might be.
In all aspects and on multiple levels, we humans tend to want to do it our way and make it work, even when it won't work and shouldn't work, which is why we shouldn't try.
As they say, "Just because we can, doesn't mean we should." Yet, we do it anyway, and that is curious.
I've read that these are "the times when Satan vomits his bile all over the world" and I have been trying to understand what that means and how that manifests itself at our "see" level and our "what we do" level.
It started in the Garden with the First Parents, but rebellion against the authoritarian "Laws of the Father" is generally something teenagers do, which, coincidentally, often appears to also be our society's arrested level of maturity, too, especially in these times.
We are being tested.
We'll just have to wait and see how we handle it, and then see what happens next.
IF, during one of Heaven's tests/Satan's Crossroad's Bargain Deals, one honors and stays true to their highest ideals, and works for/toward the ultimate truth rather than the worldly approved ones, and does so with a great "just happy to be here doin' this" kind of spirit and attitude?
From a Judeo-Christian point of view, those faithful are repaid with much more than what they had lost slogging their way through that valley, not unlike in the Job story.
Consider the case of America when we went to fight in Western Civilization's war to save the world from the evil of Hitler. We avoided it until we couldn't avoid it any longer.
In spite of our stated high ideals and the needs of our friends, we avoided that calling until we were forced to pick up the batphone and answer the Commissioner's call and go help save the day. Not unlike with Jonah's story in some ways.
However, once we got into the fight, for America's willing and ultimate sacrifices helping Western Civilization save the world from Hitler and for bringing about the restoration of Israel, America also "won" the world, so to speak.
Since those Victory Days, our dollar has been the word's currency, while America's strength and military have more or less been the world's cop keeping the rabble rousers in check so the battlefields of commerce could replace physical world warfare's blood and guts, death and destruction variety.
For US and the world, Life's Been Good! Our victory was truly bitter-sweet, but we've been repaid far more than what was lost.
However, our successes, failures and pride as we've been tested while maintaining the peace have lead US to yet another crossroads.
Now, once again, comes a major time of testing, this time thanks to the many consequences of having failed the "obama" test.
From a classroom point of view, we've had a lot to study since we took that test, so we might do better this time.
Personally, by the time this retest/make-up test is over, I hope and pray that we've scored high enough this time that we've finally passed it and don't have to take this class again!