Have you ever played that game where everyone says something true about themselves and something that's a lie and the rest of the group has to guess which is which? I recently shared the truth about being a debate team member in college. Some people didn't believe it. They've never been in an argument with me.
You see, I really love to be right. (Anyone with me here?) And I love to win. (Still with me?) So, debating meant I could win by being right- or at least convincing others of this. The convincing had to do with using logic and witty one-liners. The most fun ever! But the truth is that usually in debate we lost track of whether what we were saying was right and we could never consider whether we really believed what we were arguing. That would be a losing strategy.
I quickly (maybe not quickly enough) learned that the tactics that earned trophies in debate were not winning strategies in real life. Friends could be hurt by the quick comeback meant to destroy their argument. Arguing for the sake of arguing might even convince someone to believe something that I didn't believe at all. When I made deeper commitments to living a faithful life, I knew that the debater would have to go. What might have been an "asset" in a future as a politician or television personality had to become a loss for the sake of Christ. Paul (Philippians 3:7) understands this. What the world values doesn't lead to knowing Christ. Everything lost is nothing compared with the gain that is found in Christ.
You see, I really love to be right. (Anyone with me here?) And I love to win. (Still with me?) So, debating meant I could win by being right- or at least convincing others of this. The convincing had to do with using logic and witty one-liners. The most fun ever! But the truth is that usually in debate we lost track of whether what we were saying was right and we could never consider whether we really believed what we were arguing. That would be a losing strategy.
I quickly (maybe not quickly enough) learned that the tactics that earned trophies in debate were not winning strategies in real life. Friends could be hurt by the quick comeback meant to destroy their argument. Arguing for the sake of arguing might even convince someone to believe something that I didn't believe at all. When I made deeper commitments to living a faithful life, I knew that the debater would have to go. What might have been an "asset" in a future as a politician or television personality had to become a loss for the sake of Christ. Paul (Philippians 3:7) understands this. What the world values doesn't lead to knowing Christ. Everything lost is nothing compared with the gain that is found in Christ.
