Winning and Losing
Were you screaming encouragement at the TV last Saturday, urging the British men's coxless four to rowing gold in Beijing? There is something mildly addictive about the Olympics. Perhaps it's the athletes' aspiration to, and demonstration of, excellence that stirs something noble in our souls. Only the hardest of hearts could be unmoved by the tears of joy, and the sobs of disappointment that have been headline news for the past two weeks.
Reaction to different competitors' medal-winning and misfortunes has revealed the extent to which, in the developed world, at least, respect is based on merit, and achievement the passport to social acceptance. So it is that record-breaking, champion swimmer, Michael Phelps, gets to shake hands with President Bush, while China's crestfallen Liu Xiang prompts a mass exodus from the birds nest stadium on withdrawing from the 110m hurdles due to injury.
This should give us pause for thought. For, if excellence in performance becomes more highly valued than excellence in relationships, then the language of competition becomes a threat. Then the noble aspiration to excel can be distorted into a fear of failure, and leave people crushed under the weight of either their own, or others' expectations of their performance-based lives.
Excellence in Scripture is much more about the character of Christ and the love of God rather than statistical achievement. In fact, in the Bible, counting resources and measuring achievements are often used to illustrate pride, self-reliance, control and oppression - the darker side of merit-based culture.
The medal ranking for Team GB in Beijing has surpassed the Great British haul at every Games since 1920, and congratulations are well deserved by those who have demonstrated such commitment and excellence. Yet we all need to know - and know deeply - that success or failure is not the final proof of who we are. Our self-worth is not based on our ability to perform; it is based on our identity as God's children:
'"Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let those who boast boast about this: that they understand and know me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on the earth, for in these I delight," declares the Lord' (Jeremiah 9:23-24).
Paul Valler
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