Month: July 2024

fighting the good fight

Posted on by Grace Day

I have lots of favorite movies. One of them is “Akeelah and the Bee” probably because one of my all time favorite lines comes from this movie. It’s a memorable line not only because I didn’t see it coming, but also because it changes everything, including the outcome of the story. The words took me totally by surprise and instantaneously changed my opinion of the character who said them – probably because the words were so “out of character” for the person who said them. But in order to appreciate the line, you first need to know something of the backstory that precedes the character speaking those words.

So I’ll give you the short version of this movie’s plot. In this movie, Akeelah, a girl from a poor public school in L.A., wins her local spelling bee and eventually she makes it all the way to the National Spelling Bee. One of her competitors is Dylan, a boy who has been to the National Bee before and is expected to win this time. Dylan is very competitive, and in the movie, we see the pressure Dylan’s father puts on him to win at all costs. We assume Dylan shares his father’s vision of success and how to achieve it.

That’s why what happens when Akeelah intentionally misses her word toward the end of the spelling bee, when only she and Dylan are left in the competition, is such a surprise. Dylan knows Akeelah missed her word on purpose, essentially giving him the win. I expected Dylan to take the win and never look back. As Akeelah returns to her seat next to Dylan, she tells him, “it’s yours now.” BUT – Dylan replies, “You missed that word on purpose. Either you do your best, or I don’t want it!” Wow! I did not see that coming.

Dylan then proceeds to purposely miss his word too, so they are both still in the competition. From there they go on to become co-champions of the spelling bee, because neither one misspells another word. What surprised me was that Dylan didn’t want the win if he didn’t earn it outright. Boy did I misjudge Dylan! I thought he wanted to win at all costs and didn’t care how he got there. But as it turns out, Dylan didn’t want the win “given” to him by his competitor doing less than her best.

Apparently Dylan isn’t the only one who feels this way about competition and winning. I am reminded of another favorite movie of mine, “Brian’s Song.” This movie tells the true story of two Chicago Bears football players, Brian Piccolo and Gayle Sayers. They are teammates but are competing for the same position on the team. Sayers is playing with great success until he gets injured in a game. This gives Brian the opportunity to play and sets up the scene I remember from the movie. Brian encourages Sayers in his recovery. He brings a weight machine to Sayers house and Brian also works out with him. Brian pushes Sayers to keep going during their workouts together, saying, “I’m going to beat you, Sayers, but you have to be at your best.”

Piccolo didn’t want to get playing time in the games by default, because his competition for his position was injured. He wanted to earn his playing time outright, by true ability and hard work – by beating out the best of the best, not some weaker, injured opponent. Piccolo didn’t see any honor in beating someone while they were down or at their lowest point. So he helped his competition, Sayers, to grow strong and be at his best. Otherwise, a win had no value, no true meaning for Piccolo.

This brings me to a third recollection that is inescapable at this point. It is the true story of what happened at a women’s softball game between Central Washington and Western Oregon in April 2008. A batter for Western Oregon hit a home run with two runners on base. But as Tucholsky, the batter, was running, she missed first base, went to double back and her right knee gave out, leaving her unable to run the bases and score the home run which she had just hit. (the first in her four year collegiate softball career) The only option was to allow a teammate to take her place on first base and count her hit as a single. BUT – two players from the opposing team (Holtsman and Wallace) offered to carry Tucholsky around the bases, allowing her to touch each base and home plate with her foot, thereby allowing the run to count. The rules prevented the batter’s own teammates, trainers or coaches from doing this. Only players from the opposing team are allowed to do this, which they did, making it possible for the batter’s homerun to count.

This story has always been memorable to me because it goes against everything one would expect in an athletic contest. Why would you help your opponent in their moment of need, knowing that it will only add to their score and increase the likelihood of your defeat? Yet that is precisely what the two young women from the opposing team did for the batter of their rival team. They knew she had hit the home run, they watched her do it. They saw clearly that she was injured and unable to run the bases on her own, and they knew the rules. Her own teammates could not come to her assistance. If they did, it would be an out.

The decision was the opposing players’ alone to make. Putting aside any self-interest, two players from the opposing team, Holtsman and Wallace, came to their competitor’s assistance and made sure she got the credit for the home run she had just hit, even though she was clearly unable to run the bases on her own strength. Those two young women, with their act of kindness, of courage, of compassion, of empathy, of fairness – with their desire to see the right thing done, turned an otherwise forgettable college softball game into an unforgettable memory, leaving a legacy that will continue to inspire others for years to come. They may have lost the game, but they gained the opportunity to gift the world with their real and lasting picture of a true win for everyone.

Maybe winning at all costs isn’t the best mantra to live by after all? Maybe sometimes the cost of winning is just too high – especially when that cost is the loss of human lives, lives caught in the crossfire of the competition to win, no matter the consequences to others. We all witnessed this as a nation, not too many days ago now. When did wishing harm to and doing harm to our competitors become acceptable? When did wanting our opponents dead become an alternative to the process of competition – be it in academics, sports, business or politics?

I think we all want to live in a world where we feel safe enough to attend an event, whether an athletic competition, a worship service or a political gathering where we can hear for ourselves what a candidate has to say. If the world is not safe for one, it is not safe for any of us. If I am wishing harm to others who I perceive as believing or thinking differently than I do, I am essentially wishing harm to myself as well. If I want the freedom to support a particular candidate without fear of repercussions, then I must ardently desire that same freedom for those supporting an opposing candidate to be able to assemble in safety and peace without fear.

John F. Kennedy said, “A rising tide raises all boats.” We all share in the legacy of freedom left to us by our founding fathers through the Constitution. It is something we would do well to cherish and to protect. We are either all free, or we will all be slaves to fear and divisiveness, which will be our downfall. Those that want to see our country fail will never have to fire a shot. We will do their dirty work for them.

But I refuse to see others, even opponents and competitors as enemies. Competition is supposed to make us stronger or better. Athletics and business are examples of this. We strive to be the best version of ourselves or to make the best product or to provide the best service. However, we could take a lesson from Dylan or the other examples and not want to win because our competition is injured, but because we have achieved a level of excellence in our particular arena.

Politics, like athletics, is a competition. But it should be about who has the best ideas for our country – not about vilifying one’s opponent. I don’t want to hear how bad the other guy is, I want to hear how good you are at your job. Let it be a competition of competence and excellence vying for the public trust, rather than two enemies attempting to annihilate one another. Nobody wins in these situations and we don’t get good leaders this way.

With all the divisiveness that surrounds us, we can be persuaded to see enemies in people that are simply our fellow Americans. And we can feel surrounded by evil as well, when events happen like the one last weekend. What to do? I will take these words of Paul in Romans to heart and let them be my guide.

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is Mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:17-21)

That’s it. If I am fighting against evil, I can only overcome it by doing good. Paul gives some other instructions about how I can fight the good fight of faith. He says –

“Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. . . . Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another.” (Romans 12:9-16)

No matter what happens in this world, I am called to fight the good fight of faith. These instructions in Romans make clear how I am to go about that. I am to “overcome evil with good.” That’s all I can do – continue to fight the good fight each day, which means loving God and loving others. If I do this, one day I will be able to say along with the apostle Paul –

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

fighting the good fight, keeping the faith,

sincerely, Grace Day

another unexpected encounter

Posted on by Grace Day

There is an old (undoubtably outdated) saying – “another day, another dollar.” This saying originated from American sailors, who in the 19th century, were paid a dollar a day on long voyages, where each day was pretty much the same as the day before it had been and therefore their days at sea were fairly monotonous.

Not so, however, my daily prayer walks. Now you might think that my walks would be the same each day, just like the sailors’ days at sea. And I do usually walk the same route around the neighborhood at about the same time each day. (you would think I would get bored and mix it up a little, but no, I tend to be a creature of habit) Yet even with keeping to the same route and the same schedule, no two walks are ever the same. Of course, the weather is constantly changing, but it is much more than that.

It is the joy of the unexpected encounter, which always takes me by surprise, then leaves me uplifted and thanking God afterwards. I receive these “chance” encounters as gifts from God, as reminders of His constant presence with me and with others, wherever we are. Today’s encounter was pure joy. I came upon another walker who appeared to be on her phone as she walked (not unusual) although she was listening rather than talking. We had said “hello” in passing a few times previously, and today was no different. Well, no different at first, and then it was.

Turns out she was listening to “Our Daily Bread” which I recognized as a daily devotion from God’s word. So I walked with her and we listened together to God’s word to us as we walked. What a great way to start a new day – breakfast with a friend! I guess I should explain that one. There’s a reason this particular daily Bible reading is called “Our Daily Bread.” In Matthew, Jesus says something interesting in His response to satan, when satan tempts Jesus in the desert, after Jesus had been fasting for forty days and forty nights. Their conversation goes like this –

“The tempter came to Him (Jesus) and said, ‘If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’ Jesus answered, ‘It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” (Matthew 4:3-4)

Get it? God’s Word is our daily bread. We need to eat physical food every day. We need God’s Word every day. Food gives my body the strength and energy I need to be able to do everything that the day will require of me. Likewise, God’s Word gives me the wisdom, direction, teaching, hope, truth and inspiration I need in order to deal well with every situation and person I will encounter that day. I can’t survive long without either one – physical food or God’s Word. God told the Israelites as much when He told them this –

“Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you – they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.” (Deuteronomy 32:46-47)

God’s words are life to you and to me! In John I read this –

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. . . . The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1-2 & 14)

The Word – the Living Word – that’s Jesus! No wonder Jesus said this about Himself to His disciples –

“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty.’ ” (John 6:35)

Jesus is the Living Word – which explains why we are told we aren’t meant to live on just physical bread alone, but truly by “every word that comes from the mouth of God.” The first is simply survival. The second leads us to the life that God intended for us – the life that Jesus talked about when He said –

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

Every day I am hungry for physical food and I am intentional about eating the food my body needs to keep going. There are even favorite foods that I crave. I will go to great lengths to find, purchase and prepare these foods. But I have to ask myself, am I as intentional about being fed from God’s Living Word? God’s words are life to me. They feed my mind, my heart and my spirit. God’s Word sustains me. Apart from His Word I grow weak and weary and I lose my way. Jesus told His disciples this –

“The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” (John 6:63)

There it is again – God’s words are life. No wonder when I turn to God’s Word, His words fill my heart with hope, they renew my mind, they light my way, they lift my spirit, they give me life. As I walked with my new found friend, the two of us listening together to God’s Word being read out loud, I realized how hungry I was for God’s word, starving actually. His word fills all those places in me that the world cannot fill, that the world cannot satisfy. My mind, my heart and my spirit long to be filled with His Living Word daily. Nothing else will satisfy the longing of my heart and soul.

What a special time we had in those few moments of feasting together on God’s Word, my new friend and I had. We discovered we had much in common in addition to being sisters in Christ. I gave my Heavenly Father thanks for His gift to me of another unexpected encounter of the very best kind – breakfast with a new friend from His Daily Bread. It’s like Jesus told His disciples –

“I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6:48-51)

sincerely, Grace Day