Sunday, September 10, 2023
Sunday Reflection: Winning
When I was a kid, organized sports were often promoted as "teaching values." I guess that is true-- but some of those values were terrible, and probably have poisoned large parts of our society.
For example, athletes of all ages are too often taught that winning is everything. I know people often make fun of "everyone gets a trophy" leagues-- but that critique is part of the problem I'm addressing. And it's not just sports-- society in general always seeks to celebrate "winners." We see that poison in kids breaking down and a president who so hates the idea of losing that he tries to subvert an election.
Believe me, I understand that sometimes it is important to win. There are battles I fight right now that affect the life, death, and freedom of people around me. But you know what? The outcome of a little league game or high school track meet isn't that. Maybe what we need to teach is how to discern when winning is important.
Jesus did not praise the winners, after all. His message threatened to turn that world upside down-- and, if we took it seriously, would threaten the same today.
