By Jon Borer
K-12 Principal, Lourdes Central Catholic School, Nebraska City
In the wake of winter state competitions, I am reminded of many inspiring movies and books of my childhood and adult life. Stories about comebacks, underdogs, and beating the odds. Stories like “Cinderella Man,” in which James “Bulldog” Braddock goes from working on the docks during the Great Depression to the boxing heavyweight champion of the world. Or the story of the 1980 U.S. men’s hockey team facing off against the juggernauts from the Soviet Union and taking home the gold medal. Finally, there is the underdog story all other such stories are compared to: David v. Goliath. The undersized kid from the fields armed with a couple pebbles and a slingshot vs. the literal Philistine giant, protected with a full body of armor and armed with weapons of mass destruction.
These are all tales that inspire us to become our best, to have faith that we can defeat the odds, and that if we work hard and are given a chance, we can be the one holding the trophy at the end. Unfortunately, only one competitor gets to hold the trophy at the end of a long season. Only one team receives the gold medal.
St. Paul writes in his first letter to the Corinthians, “Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win.” What does that mean for those of us who may not take first place? What do we have to show for the hours of hard work? Do we walk away devastated we did not achieve our goal? Or is there something more?
St. Paul continues, “Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one....” So there is something more! We are meant to prepare to be at our best so that we can perform at our best. Yes, St. Paul is talking about much more than athletics and running. He is talking about striving for the imperishable crown of heaven.
I have spent most of my life involved in competitive activities. Having participated in multiple activities throughout my youth, high school, and college, I have experienced many victories and defeats as a competitor. The last 19 years of my career I have spent as an educator and coach. Recently, I have spent time reflecting on my career. I have had the chance to examine my true motives behind the work that I put in, and sadly, I can point out some moments of pride, jealousy, envy, and anger. Moments when I was not my best self; when I was trying to prove myself to someone or some group. As a man who considers himself a faithful person, this has been a difficult revelation. I did not always compete with virtue.
What does competing with virtue look like? How does a person change his or her approach to make sure they are competing in a way that would be pleasing to God? Competing with humility would mean recognizing that our skills and abilities are gifts from God and because of this, it is our responsibility to cultivate, improve, and use the gifts He has given us.
A person competing with charity would be gracious to others and recognize his or her God-given talents and gifts, even in defeat. It would also mean treating others with the respect they so greatly deserve and playing inside the rules of the competition. Competing with fortitude would look like someone, instead of choosing to run away from a challenge, running toward the challenge and facing it head on, knowing that God is with you. To live a life of fortitude means knowing that the ends never justify the means. We stand up for what is right and compete in a way that is pleasing to God.
A virtuous competitor gives glory to God in victory and is hopeful in defeat. St. Augustine said, “We must understand then, that even though God doesn’t always give us what we want, He always gives us what we need for our salvation.” We often need to experience defeat in order to appreciate victory.
We are called to so much more than simply competing to win an earthly crown. We are called to serve others, serve God, and work diligently so that we “should never be disqualified” from joining our Father in heaven.
We can so easily get caught up in the ups and downs of sports, that we lose ourselves in the process. We can look back on how we reacted and not recognize ourselves. If we approach all things in this life with virtue, we will have the correct end goal in mind. The goal that we are not made for this world, we are made for more. Compete with virtue. Compete and prepare to the best of your ability as this pleases our Father. Our Father who sees our efforts and knows we are competing for him and with virtue, will be pleased with us.
