Reflection: Humility

Being predominantly an individual sport, track and field can be inherently selfish.  After all, people don’t win races or events by letting others go first. When this reality is reflected in day-to-day life, how can we still be a witness for Jesus?

Although there is no mention of Jesus competing in athletics in the Bible (I wonder which event he would be best at!), we can still consider ‘what would Jesus do’ in competitive situations which arise both in sport and everyday life.

• Jesus would be humble, regardless of his performance. He would never be motivated by glory – as he never used his glory for his own advantage whilst he was on earth.
• Jesus would compete with fairness; he wouldn’t pride himself on bringing down others to get ahead. We see in the Bible how Jesus respects some Pharisees, even when they treated him badly.
• Jesus would be an encourager. Even as the ‘winner’, Jesus would stay on the track cheering the other competitors in until everyone had finished. We can see this in the way Jesus showed love to everyone, regardless of their age, social status, race or health.

If we are imitating Jesus in all ways, even in environments that reward selfishness, we can maintain our true Christian identity and reflect Jesus’ character.

Prayer:

God, I’m sorry for all the times I have not been humble and thought of myself above others. I pray that when I’m in situations that reward selfishness, you will help me to keep what Jesus would do at the front of my mind and help me to have the courage and humility to be more like you.