PM: June 2, 2019
Last week was the National Spelling Bee competition… and they had an 8-way tie for first place. It went on for 5-1/2 hours and none of those kids missed a word after 20 rounds. They had to end it because they ran out of hard enough words on their list. And we’re talking hard words–one word they had to spell was “omphalopsychite”, which means someone who stares at their belly button… seriously? It started out with 562 competitors between ages 7-15.
OMPHALOPSYCHITE. Seriously?
Those kids work at being good at spelling for hours and hours. I’m sure they were proud at being the best. But the really cool thing was that they were all celebrating when the other kids got one right–high-fiving, getting excited. It’s a rare thing to celebrate your opponent’s success, right?
I’m sure your parents burst with pride every time they get to see you try something–whether it’s sports, singing, or spelling. Make your parents proud by trying your absolute best, being a humble winner, or a gracious loser, and by treating everyone with dignity and respect.
Be able to say “well done” to your opponent at the end, regardless of if it’s a win, loss, or tie.
Respect everyone. Love the community of believers. Reverence God. Honor your ruler.
1 Peter 2:17 (VOICE)
Dear Lord, Thank you for making me who I am, with my talents and abilities. Teach me to use them in a good way, to be proud of my efforts, but humble too. Help me to learn how to be happy for my friends and people I compete against when they do good. Amen.
