Give Up the Score Sheet
I say I’m not competitive. I wasn’t good at sports – yes, I tried many and even with practice, it wasn’t meant to be. I could lose a card game, board game, team contest and manage my emotions well. So, why title the blog “Give up the Score Sheet”? The title infers a sense of competition and a not so nice management of the emotions involved.
Well, I am competitive in other places; places where I see how I may control things, or fix the circumstances, or be the “wise”(est) friend. I want to win. I want to be the best. I want to be known, remembered, and respected. However, this desire to keep score allows Satan a foothold into my heart. Satan whispers how and why I’m not enough, or how and why others aren’t as good as me. It’s a tally sheet called pride that can wreck relationships and draw me away from God.
Many verses in the Bible talk about the dangers of pride. One verse that many know is Proverbs 16:18. “Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.” According to this verse, wanting to win in these social situations is likely to not end well. Both halves of the verse remind us of the negative consequences of acting in our pride. Believing ourselves to be better than others, or better than we are can lead to embarrassment, broken relationships and other terrible results.
But, the score sheet can go the other way as well. I can sometimes allow myself to believe the lie that I’m not tallying enough points because I failed to control things, or find solutions, or had nothing wise to say – or worse, and very often true in my case, said something hurtful or purposely not helpful. That version of keeping score is dangerous too. A chapter that speaks to this form of the score card is Romans 8. Paul asks if anything can separate us from God’s love? For example, if I feel like I’m losing at the game of life, or the purpose of drawing glory to God through what I do and say, will He give up on me or love others more? Paul reminds us that this is NEVER the case. Verse 39 in chapter 8 says, “No power in the sky above or in the earth below – indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Maybe it’s time to see where we are each keeping score and tear up the sheet. Let us bring it to God in prayer and ask for His help as we learn to be enough in how we have been designed and to believe God when He says He loves us, forgives us, and will never forsake us (Hebrews 13:5 and Deuteronomy 31:6).
