Thumb wrestling

 

Ella just shared this AFY experience with us.

Her session director gathered the kids.

"Okay, we are going to pair up and thumb wrestle.  You will have 30 seconds to see how many pins you can get."

The teens went crazy as they began battling.

When 30 seconds was up they asked for the totals.  Most groups said 2 or 3.  

But then one pair of boys called out 32.

"No way!  How did you do that?  That's crazy".

"They didn't say we had to win, just pin.  So we took turns and got as many together as we could."

The lesson was taught.  Brother Young further explained that when our only goal is to "win" we miss out on the opportunities for a good outcome for all. 

Competition drives away peace.

Interestingly enough, at a seminar I heard Dr Becky Bailey talk about the neuroscience which shows that if cooperation is established first, competition can be added in a healthy and beneficial and fun way.  But if competition is established first, it becomes extremely difficult for cooperation to be added.  

John 14:27 teaches, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid".

The world gives us the false notion that winning = happiness.

Winning feels good; for a minute.  

But it never lasts.

Jesus says lose yourself, serve others, be humble.

He knows that true peace comes from a community and relationships to fall back on and belong to.  

When cooperation happens first, we see others for who they are and can be.  And then competition becomes fun because in the end everyone has a good outcome, no matter the score.