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by Rob Globke
Galatians 5:26
Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.
The game of hockey is full of many different characters. Throughout my career I have met many. I have met them in and out of locker rooms. I have met them on the ice and off. I have met one from each position (but let’s be honest….mostly goalies). I have even met some in my own hockey playing family!! But, perhaps the scariest place I have ever met a different sort of character is in the MIRROR.
As I think back to my days playing hockey, I have seen many different characters looking back at me in the mirror. Some of these characters were good, some not so much. Some I still see, some have faded. Whether it was the character of sadness, joy, anger, confusion, anxiousness, gratitude, peace, hope, pride, or anything else, I met many different sides of myself through the ups and downs of a hockey career.
When I read Galatians 5:26, I am reminded of two…..
Conceit & Jealousy
I’m sure we have all met these two characters in our own life. I’m sure we have all wrestled with them at one point or another. Even if we have never played hockey, we know these two things. And like me, I believe we all would hope these two actors would play less of a lead in our lives. But alas, they sometimes do.
Conceit rears it’s ugly head when we start thinking to ourselves….- I don’t know why I’m playing on this team...I’m so much better than these guys and shouldn’t be here
- I don’t know why I’m on this line....I should be playing with those other guys
- I don’t have time for him...he is just going to get in my way
- It’s ok if I don’t practice too hard today...this team would be nothing without me, so I can get away with it
Jealousy finds its way into our hearts when we hear voices telling us….-
Why should he get all the glory...I am just as good
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I wish I was _________ (fill in the blank)
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I’m never going to be anything special...if I only was more like _________ (best player in the league)
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Look at all the attention he is getting...maybe if I do _________ then people will notice me too
Conceit and jealousy are two sides of the same coin. They both live in the world of SELF ABSORPTION. Of course, most of us know about conceit in this light. This is the classic form of arrogance, vainglory, and self importance. We all can see conceit is about the “me”. But what about jealousy? While conceit says, “Look at all I have and all I have done,” jealousy echoes, “Look at all I don’t have and what I haven’t done.” The emphasis in both cases is on the “I”. So jealousy too is also about the “me”. Maybe not as evident, but when you look deep enough, you realize you are still obsessing about yourself. This is not a good place to be. These are not the type of characters God calls us to be. We are to be humble. We are to be satisfied.
So how do we get there? How do we prevent ourselves from seeing these characters show up in the mirror?
The gospel of course!!!
The gospel reminds us that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Whenever we find conceit creep into our lives we must remember that we are no better than anyone else. We are all capable of missing the mark. We are not quite as good as we might think we are....no matter how many goals we might get. Thinking like this places us on a level playing field with everyone else. We are no better than the man sitting next to us.
The gospel also reminds us that we are deeply loved by our Heavenly Father REGARDLESS of how we stack up to anyone else. We are not measured based on how good we look compared to those around us. We are measured by the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. This is an amazing antidote whenever you find envy or jealousy creeping into the mirror. God loves you because of Christ. Not because you have everything figured out.
So, keep reminding yourself of the gospel. At all times, in all ways. It’s of first importance and it has the power to save you if you believe.
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures
