Participation Trophy
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 2 Peter 1:3-4 (NIV)
Not too long ago, there was such an uproar over school kids participating in various events. The issue did not revolve around their participation. Instead, it focused on the end result. In society, the tendency is to focus on who won or came close. Back when I was growing up, if you were not first, second, or third, you got nothing. Then, someone produced the idea that we should encourage our children to feel good about participating in the event win or lose. Thus, the evolution of the participation trophy began. Many people were outraged by the idea. Why on earth would you reward someone for just trying? That sounds ‘soft’ or does not encourage a winning attitude. I remember receiving something like a participation trophy years ago. It did not feel that good. Here’s the funny thing. I was also in a tournament where I got second place. That hurt far more than any participation trophy I got. The thing is it was not the trophy or the place I was in that mattered. It was all about the effort I put into it. If you put in a great deal of effort and that is acknowledged, that makes the participation trophy worthwhile.
Spiritual growth is all about us putting in effort to learn of God’s greatness. When we make the choice to give our lives to Christ, we are given the opportunity of new life. Paul said, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) What we choose to do with it lies solely with us. That means that we are responsible for what comes next. This is not to say that God does not know where that path leads for, He is after all omniscient. What it does mean for us is that there is a stark difference between knowing the path and walking it. The key words in today’s verses that through God’s promises, we, “may participate in the divine nature,” or in other words being like Christ. The Bible is often referred to ‘The Living Word of God,’ and we cannot expect the word to ‘live’ without their being some activity in it. Through us, God’s word comes to life, and this is where we as His children have an opportunity to participate. If we do not step into this, we risk in our faith and connection to God becoming stagnant. The things we know about growth is that it is often uncomfortable, filled with mistakes, and frustrating. But when we achieve true growth, it is incredibly rewarding. Participating in the process of being Christ like does not mean you will succeed right away, nor will you be good at it. But any effort spent is never wasted. It is but a journey, and each step has value. Our goal is to trust God has something at the end of pathway, and the only way to get there is to participate fully in the process and keep walking.
Trying to become more like Christ requires encouragement. A person with a drinking problem who completes a couple of weeks sober needs to know their efforts are appreciated. It does not mean they have reached their goal. It’s a lifelong journey toward sobriety. Along those lines, God’s invitation to our walk of faith does not end after learning of His love and grace for us. It is an ongoing process. I’ll touch on what that looks like next time. In the meantime, let us be willing to continue down our path to wherever God may lead us knowing God is grateful you are willing to actively partake in that journey. Where do you feel you are on your spiritual journey? What steps can you take to grow spiritually? My prayer is we are participants in God’s plan and realize for Christ, it is okay to accept a participation trophy. Amen.