Commercials tend to run the gamut from entertaining to forgettable, and maybe that’s just part of their nature. In just 15, 30, or 60 seconds, creatives try to grab our attention and make us respond—usually by making us aware of a need (like bad breath) and offering a solution (their mouthwash). It’s rare, though, that a commercial leads me to reflect deeply. (Thankfully, with recorded programs, I can usually skip right through them to get back to the story.)

But every once in a while, a commercial breaks through.

One that recently caught my attention was about lactose-free milk. It featured two friends watching cows in a field, as the cows gently nudge a ball back and forth. One of the friends starts talking about the benefits of the milk, and the other joins in, remarking on how nice it is to enjoy the drink while watching “the game.” Then he pauses, noticing the absurdity of calling it a “game”—cows simply pushing a ball across the grass. Confused, he asks, “Who’s winning?” His friend replies, “We are, my friend. We are.”

Maybe it was by design, but that commercial left me thinking on many levels: two friends of different backgrounds sitting in lawn chairs, watching cows play a “game” on a field, clinking glasses of lactose-free milk. It reminded me of how, in life, we sometimes miss the bigger picture by getting caught up in minor details.

In the 16th chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus prepares his followers for the challenges ahead. He doesn’t offer specifics that would satisfy every question or concern. But he does give them enough to know that things will be tough—and that ultimately, there’s a good ending. Not a “happily ever after” in the fairy-tale sense, but something deeper and more fulfilling.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

So, what does this have to do with two friends watching cows push a ball around? In the middle of life’s back-and-forths, I’m reminded of Jesus’ words— and of the commercial’s simple message.

Who’s winning? We are, my friend. We are.

Categories: Acts17seventeen

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Pastor Mark

Mark, the eighth of nine children born to Reuben and Henrietta Meeks—dedicated church planters with nearly 30 congregations established across California’s Central Valley—is a preacher's kid who grew up immersed in faith and service. With over forty years of experience teaching, discipling, and ministering to communities, including the hospitalized and incarcerated, Mark responded to God's call to pastoral ministry. He holds degrees in civil engineering and public administration, as well as a Master’s in Theology from Fuller Seminary, equipping him to serve with both practical insight and spiritual depth.