Actually, I’m surprised that I had made it this far. Usually the lifeguard is blowing the whistle and telling me to get out of the pool by the end of the first weekend, but this year I did pretty well until Michigan State made their run and took my tournament winner out and I went through the door with them.
I’m not really that much of a college basketball fan, a consequence of living too far from a local rooting interest in any serious contenders, but I usually fill out a bracket. Why not? It’s a simple diversion, a joyful connection with friends, a playful competition with a minimal stake or reward. I find it hard to apprehend the outrage over the President taking the time to fill out a bracket – and you only need to see his outcome to know that he didn’t put too much time or energy into it (after all, even I beat him!).
It is, of course, at the center of our nature to be competitive, evidenced by the overwhelming nation-wide interest in challenging each other to this contest of blindly foreseeing the outcome of a game played by 18-year-olds. People -especially guys! - I meet are deeply invested in perfecting their bracket, regardless of the fact that it involves something less than the cost of lunch at McDonald’s. There’s pride at stake, bragging rights, winning! And we’re all about that.
Which is the rub, of course. Don’t misunderstand – I’m for winning. I’m for striving, putting forth best efforts, honest competition and learning grace both in victory and defeat. It ought to be within our human nature to always seek success, and desire and drive for the best outcome in all we do. But we must recognize the line where that drive for victory becomes a drive for self, a compulsion for pride and the trappings of mastery which destroy grace, humility, and finally defeats faith.
The savior said, “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life?" (Matthew 16:24-25) The life that matters is not a tournament, the prize we seek is not a trophy, the final score is measured not by what we have gained, but by what we have given, the victor’s crown is not gold but a twist of thorns covered in blood.
There is an opportunity in this season (the other March Madness that we call Lent) I hope, to be reminded again, that the true value in the tournament of life is not the rewards our labors bring to us, but the value they bring out from us.
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Well said. I had a friend who always put the Jesuit and other religious schools through to the championship game, reasoning that God should be rooting for them if no one else. Never really worked out for him, so I think you may have a point!
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