Competition and Humility

I normally think of myself as a mild mannered guy, pretty easy going, but every now and then I can be a complete ass. I am sure many people can relate to this, especially if you are married. You find yourself saying and doing things where even in the midst of it you are thinking "why am I acting like this". Needless to say I found myself in this situation this last Friday at our Church League Softball game. Now, before you get worried about what I might have done in the game, the only one who knew I was being/acting like an ass inwardly was me (since Shannon was not watching the game...had she been there she would have seen right through my actions). Now for some context. We were playing the most competitive and most stacked team from our church. I mean there is no beating this team. And they worked us. This combined with some poor umpiring (and I umpire a lot, and normally don't call people out, but these people are lazy) and a major but whooping left me not enjoying the game by the fourth inning.

This brings me to my point. I hate when I act like this. I don't want things like this to bother me. I want to show more humility and patience in competition, because in the grand scheme of things it does not matter. So, in my logic of it all, I was upset with this overly competitive team and in response, I became competitive. I turned into what bothered me about the other team, and it completely sucked the joy of the game out from under me.

This has been resting on my heart the last few days, and I can only turn to God and say "make me more like you, make me a kinder, gentler, and more compassionate person, so I might reflect your love even in the midst of competitive moments"


I will let you know how it goes...

Nascar, I just don't understand you!

Okay, I will preface this post with the full confession that I grew up and still live in Southern California, so I doubt I could have any affinity for Nascar, but I still just don't understand. I mean I understand the fun of driving a car fast through tight turns, but you are watching someone else do that. Now, right there I thought I might have defeated my argument. One could look at my obsession for Baseball and the Dodgers and say, "Kevin, you go to games to enjoy the art and skill of the sport, not to do it yourself". Yes, this is true. However, I also get to leave the game, play in softball leagues, and on some level enjoy the same type of activity that I am so passionate about observing. When was the last time you took a car and drove it close to 200 mph for 500 laps? When was the last time you had a pit crew jack up your car, make the necessary adjustments, and then you took off into the race? Nope, you drive around in your VW and Ford, wishing you could do what they do, while I can partake in the pure form of the sport, enjoying what I do.


****Note: this rant is not in any way serious, and I do understand the Nascar passion (sort of).


***** Double Note: Tim, you brought this on yourself.