It’s been a crazy week in the sports world. It was a week that was dominated early with anticipation of Lance Armstrong admitting to doping but then was quickly overshadowed by the shocking story yesterday that Manti Te’o’s dead girlfriend never existed.
How did you react when you first heard about Manti Te’o? What about Lance Armstrong? Think back to November of 2009, how did you respond to the Tiger Woods scandal? Were you sad? Were you angry? Did you enjoy the drama? Did you crack jokes?
Last night, I found myself in an odd situation. I was telling a friend about the Te’o story and I found myself giddy. I was laughing and chuckling while telling the story. Why was I doing this? It seems strange, right? We don’t know all the facts yet but at the very least there has been a great amount of deception and there have been victims. And I was laughing. I was rejoicing. Why?
When I probed into my heart, I realized the answer. I was giddy about this Te’o story because it made me feel better about myself. It was just one more person I could add to the list of people I was better than. And it’s a great person to add to the list because he’s famous. Everyone is going to know I’m better than him! By pushing people down, I can prop myself up. My giddiness revealed a belief that still operates in my heart: I determine my value and righteousness by comparing myself with others. It’s a works-based system of righteousness that relies on comparison.
That’s not the gospel though.
In Christ, I don’t have to compete or compare. In Christ, my righteousness is found not in anything I’ve done but by everything He has done. This truth shouldn’t lead me to rejoice in the plights of others but rather to look at the Te’o story and acknowledge my own brokenness. It should lead to humility and compassion, not giddiness.
So, I’ll ask again: How did you react when you heard about this story or any of the others I mentioned above? Were you giddy and excited like I was? If so, I would recommend, probe into that. You might not like what you find but God can do a good work in your heart through it.
