This morning was sport’s day for the pre-schoolers in our local school. My daughter Anya was taking part. Thankfully they aren’t too completive at that age; they don’t even give the winners prizes.
I had never seen Anya run in a race like this before but I was pretty sure she would not win. She is the youngest in her class, I regularly came last when I was a kid, and Caroline seems to have fared little better. Anya ran as fast as she could, she was happy, she gave her best and was significantly behind everybody else. She’s great!
Life’s not about how many medals you win at school races and it’s not about getting the best grades in your year. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t try your best. I’m definitely saying that you should not rate yourself on your ability to outdo others.
The Bible puts the world’s notions of success on their head. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Jesus told his disciples, ‘whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all’ (Mark 10:43-44). The gospel teaches that our position before God depends on Christ’s merit and not our achievement.
I hope that if Anya comes last in races it will be no big deal for her. If she ever wins races I hope that she won’t base her own worth on those successes. Of course my greatest hope for her is that she grows up knowing the wonderful love God has for her and that she will live her life for his glory.
I had never seen Anya run in a race like this before but I was pretty sure she would not win. She is the youngest in her class, I regularly came last when I was a kid, and Caroline seems to have fared little better. Anya ran as fast as she could, she was happy, she gave her best and was significantly behind everybody else. She’s great!
Life’s not about how many medals you win at school races and it’s not about getting the best grades in your year. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t try your best. I’m definitely saying that you should not rate yourself on your ability to outdo others.
The Bible puts the world’s notions of success on their head. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Jesus told his disciples, ‘whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all’ (Mark 10:43-44). The gospel teaches that our position before God depends on Christ’s merit and not our achievement.
I hope that if Anya comes last in races it will be no big deal for her. If she ever wins races I hope that she won’t base her own worth on those successes. Of course my greatest hope for her is that she grows up knowing the wonderful love God has for her and that she will live her life for his glory.
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