Monday, January 14, 2013

Everyone Gets a Medal

Oh My Word! This drives me crazy!! 

At age two it is okay to tell your sweet toddler that they did a great job coloring even though they scribbled all over the page and that they ran the fastest even though you were crawling on your hands and knees and still crossed the finish line first. What is NOT okay is telling your 3rd grader that even though their softball team came in last place they deserve a trophy for showing up with their gloves on. 
-Not everyone gets an A!
-Not everyone gets the preferred job. (or any job)
-Not everyone gets the girl!
-Not everyone wins!
-Not everyone gets a medal!

Why do I even need to talk about this? It seems like common sense to me. Learning to deal with disappointment and failure is part of becoming a well adjusted person who will have something useful to offer society. 

Our church did Project 4:4 last year which meant we read through the chronological bible in a year. Not everyone completed the project but hopefully everyone learned a little more than what they knew in December 2011. I missed some days and even missed some weeks but did my best to catch up or listen to some of the video accelerators the pastors made to enhance the reading. So either you did it or you didn't, not a big deal either way. No one gets a fast pass to Heaven nor does anyone have to stand in the corner of shame. With that in mind, I was bugged when I overheard two women at church discussing the stickers that were handed out at church. Everyone was offered a sticker that said "I finished Project 4:4" 
Woman 1: I see you got a Project 4:4 sticker?
Woman 2: Yes I this was the first time I ever tried to read through the bible.
Woman 1: Don't you think this sets up an environment to make people feel bad if they didn't read it or finish it?
Woman 2: Maybe they should have made stickers that said "I participated in Project 4:4"

OH MY WORD!!  I had to walk away. I wanted to tell them, "In Jesus name, you are what is wrong with society these days!!!" 

I feel better now that I got that off my chest. 
Agree with me or don't.  It really does not matter. We can disagree and both go to heaven but if you have a child, please allow them to fail while they are still in the safety of your home. If you don't, they will fail when they are too big for you to fight their battles and it will not only hurt them but it will hurt others around them.

Blessings to each and every one of you!

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