The Scoreboard
The score last night was convincing. You outplayed your opponent in every phase of the game.
I want to say something about what that does and doesn’t mean.
It means you were better than them last night. It doesn’t mean you’re a great person. It doesn’t mean the standard was at its highest. And it doesn’t mean the next opponent is going to get the same result.
The score and your character are two different things. Let’s talk about the second one.
Read this passage slowly.
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8 — NIVLet that sit for a second before you move.
Micah 6:8 gives a three-part standard that has nothing to do with wins and losses. Act justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly.
Justice in competition: did you compete within the rules and the spirit of the game? Did you hold to the standard even when you could have gotten away with less?
Mercy: did you show your opponent basic human dignity? When you had everything in your favor, how did you treat the person on the other side?
Humility: do you know that last night’s margin doesn’t make you better than anyone? That tomorrow is a new competition with a new result? That the only thing you can control is how you show up?
These aren’t questions the scoreboard answers. They’re questions your character answers. And the most sustainable, most respected, most formidable competitors are the ones who hold the Micah 6:8 standard whether they win by 30 or lose by 30.
The score was good. Now let’s make sure the character was too.
The most formidable competitors hold the Micah 6:8 standard whether they win by 30 or lose by 30.
On justice, mercy, and humility — pick one of the three and give yourself an honest grade for last night. What did you do well? What would you do differently?
Self-assessment using the three categories. Concrete and specific. Don’t let people only answer the one they got right.
Act justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly. That’s the standard the score can’t measure.
This devotional can be used after any win, not just a blowout. It’s particularly useful when the team’s character in a blowout was mixed.