I am an avid sports fan with very specific rooting interests. My Vol fandom and my allegiance to the state of Tennessee at large creates a very simplified, refined view of the sports landscape.
I cheer for all things Tennessee…
the Vols, the Titans, the Grizzlies, the Predators and I will even celebrate the Memphis Tigers. I am invested in and focus on my teams and their interests.
While most people in the South are chanting SEC! SEC! SEC! I am hoping the other SEC teams lose every game they play. If you aren’t Tennessee, I hope you never win. Period.
Imagine my conundrum on Monday night as the National Championship game was a contest between Alabama and Georgia…
Yet watching a game where you have disdain (is that allowed as a Christian) for both teams allows for a certain degree of objectivity. As the game unfolded I was a part of a group text with some people that are die hard Alabama fans and some that hate all things Alabama football. I also kept an eye on social media. It was fascinating.
I was able to watch every play, every call by the referees, every decision, with very little bias. Which allowed me to watch my friends respond with utter and complete bias. It’s amazing, every fan base thinks the refs are garbage, the media hates their team and opposing fans are the worst.
I watched as people lamented the happenings on the field and honestly, how often those biased fans could look at the exact same thing and see something completely different.
Its comical, frustrating for other people, and a little embarrassing, when someone allows the lens over their eyes to be so heavily colored that they can’t see clearly.
I learned this year, I am a terrible judge of where my team is in comparison to other teams because I look at my team with a certain lack of objectivity. I predicted Tennessee would have a 9-3 record in 2017. They were 4-8.
What does all of this mean to our lives?
It’s very important to be self-aware enough that we can identify our biases.
We all (yes, you included) have a strong tendency to look at situations (like politics) and see what we want to see…to find what we are looking for.
As a believer, every day that I read the Bible, I approach it with the tendency to look for specific things and amazingly, I find those things in most everything I read in the Bible.
The problem is, over time, if we do not identify this tendency, our ideas, thinking and perspective will continue to narrow. Not only that, but our relationships become strained because we don’t allow enough room for people to be anything other than what we are looking for.
If you are looking for signs of being disrespected…you will find disrespect.
If you are looking for manipulation…you will find manipulation.
If you are looking for a lack of loyalty…you will find disloyalty.
If you are looking for a battle…you will find a battle.
If you are looking for justification for behavior…you will find justification.
If you are looking for a reason to be angry…you will find a reason.
These are just a few of the areas where looking and seeing are connected. If you don’t fit on the list above, the odds are high you fit a different list. Notice above, I did not say you WILL be disrespected, manipulated, betrayed, fought or justified. I said you will find it…you will see what you are looking for.
In all things, we have a responsibility to be self-aware enough to identify and be honest about what we are “looking for” and contend by the help of Holy Spirit that what we “see” will not be dictated so heavily.