Sometime in the last two weeks I read an article that said a kid’s soccer league took removing competition to a new level by removing the ball from soccer. Someone later mentioned that the article is a satirical writing, but it wouldn't surprise me if at some point it actually happened. For some reason society has come to see teaching children to compete as a bad thing, and yet we allow grown men to make millions of dollars a year by doing just that.
Competition is a good thing. I was an athlete in high school, and with everything I've done, or dreamed of doing, I've wanted to be the best. I've never done something just to do it, and honestly never will, it's not who I am. And that isn't a bad thing. Competition isn't a bad thing. Some churches have started a sports program called Upwards, and in it no one loses, not a supporter. I'm all about teaching kids the basics of a sport, and how to play it well, but you can't remove competition from it, or the fact that there are winners and losers.
I hate losing, to steal Brad Pitt's line from Money Ball "I hate losing more than I want to win, and there's a difference." But in losing we learn some important lessons. Lessons that we rob children of if we refuse to let them compete.
One, losing teaches humility and grace. I wasn't always a good sport. There were times when I lost, even in my early twenties, that I didn't have the best attitude. But in losing we can learn how to act with dignity. In a world where there are no winners and losers, how do people learn that things don't always work out for their favor? And with that, how do people learn how to deal with that situation? Losing taught me how to handle setbacks. It taught me how to deal with things that don't go my way. This is a crucial lesson to learn.
Second, losing shows us where we have room for improvement. When I was a young wrestler, back in eighth grade, I kept getting my arm caught and then flipped on my back. One moment I would be on top of my opponent, feeling in control, and then somehow the next moment I was on the bottom wondering how I got there. I had left my arm on the side and had gotten too high, and because of this I was getting turned. But by losing this way during practice, I learned a lesson that made me a champion. During the Conference championship match I was wrestling a guy, and my arm got caught, but this time I pulled my weight back, ended up getting a stalemate called, and went on to become a Conference Champion.
Third, losing opens our eyes to things we are better at. I played a lot of sports, but wrestling was what I was good at. I had dreams as a kid of being a big league ball player, but eventually realized it was never going to happen. And so I turned my attention to the thing I was best at, and something I enjoyed so much more.
Fourth, losing gives us determination. Again, I hate losing. Losing drove me to improve and get better as a wrestler, and still today losing drives me to get better as a minister and a person. Yes, there are the moments right after you lose where you don't want to do anything but sit and feel sorry for yourself, but they are simply that, moments. They pass, and then you get back to work. The bitter taste of defeat is one that I hate, and never want to experience, and so I am determined to get better, stronger, so that the next time I'm victorious.
Without competition, these lessons aren't learned. If everyone is a winner then what do we need humility for? If we're all equal, then what is there to push me to get better? Without competition I could spend my life doing something that ultimately is a waste of my time. So let's do society a favor and encourage competition. Let's teach our children that in life there are winners and losers, and let’s teach them how to humbly handle both sides of that spectrum. Let competition drive them to improve and be the best they can be in whatever area they excel.
"I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread."
To God alone be the Glory!
Peace be with you
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