“The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong… but time and chance happen to them all” (Ecclesiastes 9:11, NKJV). This verse pushes back against a tidy assumption: that the fastest and strongest always come out ahead.
Life doesn’t actually distribute outcomes that neatly. Circumstances outside anyone’s control, timing, chance, factors nobody accounted for, shape results as much as skill and strength do.
This isn’t an argument against effort or preparation. It’s a humbling reminder that outcomes aren’t entirely within our control, no matter how swift or strong we are.
Where have you been assuming a guaranteed outcome based purely on your own effort or ability, without accounting for the time and chance this verse names honestly?