Keeping Score Requires Watching Both Teams

Advent Meditations “Forgiveness”

What would it be like to go to a ballgame and be the “official score keeper” but you only watch one team?

Imagine, let’s say a football game . . .  the opposing/visiting team scores a touchdown but no score goes on the board. The home team scores, the score gets recorded, and the game continues.

The visiting team has an interception, it’s a phenomenal play, they run it all the way down the field to score again, and still – no score goes on the board.

The opposing team actually continues to play masterfully, executing passes, blocks, and continues to score but it never gets recorded.

The home team ends up winning the game according to the scoreboard, but in fact, they won nothing at all.

Oftentimes this is what it is like when we engage in conflict with one another. We keep a scorecard . . . and the scores we keep adding up are all in our favor. We never stop to take a look at things from their perspective. We never give them credit for what they are bringing to “the game.”

One thing I shared Sunday in the message that is important for us to always remember, “keeping a scorecard doesn’t make you strong. It makes you bitter.”

When we keep score, we feel powerful and in control. It justifies our feelings.

Remembering how many times the “offending party” did something that we didn’t like, something that hurt us.

And instead of having a conversation with them about it, we just keep “keeping score.” Bitterness and resentment build, and the other person is never given a chance to even earn a score.

Finally, the game is over. It explodes, damage is done with words and actions and it is sometimes difficult to recover.

As followers of Jesus, the last thing we need to focus on is keeping score.

When Peter asked Jesus, “How many times do I forgive? Seven?” He thought he was being generous with his forgiveness and grace. Jesus’ replied, “Hardly! Seventy times seven” which means – infinitely.

In life, there is no room for keeping score.

What scores do you need to level today?

Grace and Peace,

Andrea