It’s Big.
It’s Loud.
People won’t quit talking about it.
Because it is annoying.
But you know what? I find them...charming (my wife hates them). The 2010 world cup will be remembered by these African horns. Sure they don’t stop. Sure they hinder communication between players. But hey, maybe that’s what distracted Robert Green during USA’s only goal against England.
Thank you vuvuzelas for that.
But the World Cup reminds me something central to humanity:
Competition.
Our species is obsessed with the questions “Who is the best? And where do I fall in line?”
Countries from all over the world compete to see who is the best. And who isn’t. This past week, the traffic at Fifa.com passed the usually #1 website Facebook.com. More people in the world want to know the highlights and lowlights of the Cup than checking their notifications.
All in search for, who is the best?
Last Cup, in 2006, I guess you could argue that Italy was. But I can’t, with confidence, say that. A 1-1 game that ended in a penalty shootout? With the head-butt red card holding back France. I still wonder who was the better team.
But this does reveal our humanity. In every walk of life, we compare.
We compare to find our worth.
A line.
We order ourselves in a line.
In our mind.
Some imaginary line, ordered by our own rules.
Some line that determines our self esteem and worth.
Some line that finds itself in every facet of life.
- Grade school. The coolest and prettiest at the front, the least of these in the back.
- American Idol. Who performs the best? More vote for the next American Idol than the next American President.
- Where are they now? The people we competed with in college, how is their marriage, job, life?
- Churches? How many people go? How good is the worship? Preaching? Who are they like?
Shane Claiborne once wrote, “As I read Scriptures about how the last will be first, I started wondering why I was working so hard to be first.”
Jesus said, “So the first will be last, and the last will be the first.” When he said that, Jesus destroyed the line.
In one story, Jesus showed us that you DO NOT find your worth by comparing yourself to others. You find your worth in him.
Paul later stated that,
“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves in Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:26-29)
“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves in Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:26-29)
When in Christ, you are one. Not just one person in a line.
So quit worrying about the line. It doesn't even exist.
And enjoy the matches of the LOUDEST World Cup in history.
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In what area of life have you fallen in ‘the line’ and found your worth in comparing yourself?
