Humility

My youngest is part of a travel soccer team and this weekend they had a tournament where over 120 different soccer teams came together to play.  Most of the weekend went well until their last game when the final team they were playing decided that the rules of fair play did not apply to them.   It was disappointing to see girls from the other team intentionally harming the girls on my daughter’s team, over exaggerating injuries, anything to gain attention and to seemingly get the upper hand.  What was encouraging however was how the referee saw what was happening and ensured that their antics did not get them the outcomes they were hoping to achieve.

Throughout the weekend there were amazing referees who would not just call fouls or offsides, but they would take the time to explain to all of the girls on the field what happened that caused the call to be made.   They took the time to teach in every moment. It made me think of how that is what is expected of us as parents.

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 New International Version (NIV)

6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.

It isn’t a defined time that we are supposed to be training our children in the way they should go, it is every moment of every day.   My daughter’s coach was saying to the girls on the team throughout the game to not lower their standards; reminding them to play a clean game regardless of how the others acted and the outcome.

C.S. Lewis said, “Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” And that is what the coach was saying.  People were watching but the girls knew the right thing because they were taught it when no one was watching.   The way they handled themselves in that stressful situation was going to be a measure of how well they truly embodied the values their coach was instilling in them for fair play and integrity.

I couldn’t help but then think about whether or not I always operate with integrity, do I act in secret the way I do in public?   Do my values change based on the situation or the company I am with or am I consistent?   I would like to think I am very consistent, almost to a fault yet it is definitely something that I need to add to my daily prayer life.   Being a truly authentic person who makes the tough choices and pushes forward towards Christ’s mission for me regardless of who is watching or the outcome.