Identity (Bot9 #348)
Our identities can be attacked and exposed in the blink of an eye. Twitter has been abuzz this weekend after an umpire ended the Mississippi Valley State-New Orleans game on an egregious strike three call just one pitch after the batter jumped up and down in protest to strike two. The score was 7-3 and the game was likely already decided, but both men in the situation displayed that winning, their achievement, and their approval were worth far more than anything else in that moment.
Idols in sport look different than they do in cultures where people worship golden statues. The idols are more internal than they are external. In the case of the Mississippi Valley State athlete, his desire to win, achieve, and be approved by his teammates became more important than anything else in the moment. The strike two call was bad, but his reaction displayed something more going on in his heart. I don’t know the player and am not casting judgement, but the situation gives us an opportunity to reflect on when we, too, might jump around when something unfair happens to us.
For the umpire, the adult in the situation, there’s a lot more going on. His reaction displays how deep the idol of approval runs in his heart. He couldn’t allow the player to “show him up” and then called him out on the next pitch. He had to be approved by his peers, his ego likely dominated his thoughts in that moment as he was unable to forgive a young player for an emotional outburst. That decision has now cost him a suspension. When, as adults, we fail to overcome our idols, there’s a greater measure of accountability.
This past week, we explored both idols and identity in our Sport as Worship class, as well as in the finale of our three-week chapel series. In a poll we gave the nearly 300 athletes in the chapel, we asked the student-athletes in attendance the following:
Life has meaning / I have worth when…
- I am being recognized and affirmed for my accomplishments (Achievement)
- I am loved, respected and praised by my coach, the fans, the media, my parents, friends, etc. (Approval)
- I have been highly productive by achieving my goal of a win, a starting position, a championship, a scholarship (Winning)
Each of those questions are designed for the individual to reflect on how often one’s heart is focused on the idols we succumb to in sport. The first question reflects the idol of achievement, the second the idol of approval, and the third the idol of winning. For the young people in attendance with us, 70% of the student-athletes said they always or often found meaning or worth in their achievements, 75% always or often found meaning or worth in approval, and 80% always or often found meaning or worth in winning. Each of these things represent a thing that is constantly changing and never stable.
Playing, coaching, or being involved with baseball (and all sports) means living in a constant state of instability and unpredictability. The variance is certainly attractive and even fills one of what some people believe to be the six human needs. Those needs are: certainty, variety, significance, connection, growth, and contribution. It’s the variety that draws us into a new game every day. But it also draws us into believing that what we do, achieve, how often we win, and the approval of others dictate our identity.
When we elevate our achievements, approval, and winning, above that which is stable and never changing, it puts our personal value in things that are constantly shifting. We all do it. I had to spend a couple of years reading a simple statement to begin to overcome this personally - “My value comes from who I am, NOT from what I do.” We have to remember that baseball is a great game, but a terrible god. By its very nature it is ever-changing, new every day. We must lean into that which is constant, never-changing, and eternal.
The end of Field of Dreams gives us a picture of what this could look like. The film is certainly a story about redemption and restoration, but it’s about finding stability as well. What if we prioritized the stable elements available to us over that which is unstable? Is it possible to compete with a level of peace like what Ray experiences in that catch with his father? In that moment, there’s no concern about achievement, no worry about approval, and no focus on winning. There’s just a catch between a man and his father.
We constantly fool ourselves into believing that we need to write our own stories instead of contributing to His story. My best times, my best moments have all come when it wasn’t about my story, but just an addition to the books referenced in John 21:25 (“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books”). My hope is to continue to encourage athletes and coaches to experience those stories as well and develop security in a relationship with the Heavenly Father. Playing catch with Him is the most perfect picture available to us as we bring stability to our identities.
