LESSON 6: ATTITUDE, PART II

Ready

“Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’” (1 Peter 5:5).

Set

Our attitude matters in how we carry ourselves, particularly in times of adversity. Our body language in times of adversity says a lot about our character. Our attitude is also seen in how we treat others.

Look at it from a college scout’s perspective. A college scout comes to recruit two players on opposing baseball teams. Both players carry themselves with a swagger—great players often do.

One player is arguably a touch more athletically gifted. But, during the course of the game, he stares down an umpire calling a strike against him. He also crushes a hit off the top of the wall, but only gets a single because he admires his long hit rather than hustles. And he rolls his eyes when his teammate makes an error.

The other player shakes hands with the umpires after the game, thanking them. He hits a single that he stretches into a double by hustling out of the batter’s box. And he consoles a teammate who strikes out to end the game by putting his arm around him.

Who is the scout going to be more impressed by?

If you don’t think scouts see these “little” things, you don’t know scouts. They can see stats and videos of actual games online, but they are, in large part, looking at a person’s attitude. Maybe both players are recruited because of their talent. But, undoubtedly, many scouts would be turned off by the first player’s attitude.

Succeeding as a team requires relating to each other.

• Relating to each other as teammates: different players from different backgrounds working together toward a common cause.
• Relating to authority figures: taking instruction and sometimes criticism from coaches, including some coaches we don’t always agree with.
• Relating to umpires, referees, and game officials who may not always get it right.

How we treat others says a lot about how coachable we are and whether we lift teammates up to make them better. This is true in sports. This is true in life. Our adult lives will, in large part, be about relationships and how we treat others. Family. Marriage. Colleagues at work. Parent groups at our kids’ school.

The Bible tells us that how we treat others, particularly in our words, matters. In James 3:2–10, James says our tongue is small but powerful: “The tongue is a smaller member, yet it boasts great things” (James 3:5). He goes on to say it is like a rudder on a ship, a very small thing that guides and directs the entire ship. So too our tongues guide our actions and how we carry ourselves.

Go

1. Read 1 Peter 5:5. Why does humility matter so much to God? Hint: How did Jesus, the only perfect person to have ever lived, treat others?
2. Read Romans 13:1–7. Applying these verses to coaches, teachers, referees, and others in authority, is there an exception for when we disagree with them? Why or why not?