The Final Four is set for Saturday. With UCLA upsetting Michigan last night, they will now take on the dominant Gonzaga...and Baylor and Houston will battle for the best Texas team on the other side of the bracket.
Over the last couple of weeks, I have watched a ton of basketball and have been entertained by dramatic games going down to the wire. I have especially enjoyed different programs emerging and making it far in the tournament instead of the same teams we're used to seeing.
However, I haven't watched every play of every game since multiple games were going on at once or I was doing something else with the games in the background.
When I wasn’t fully engaged with a game, I found myself simply looking at the TV to see the score. Admittedly, I wasn’t watching what was really going on in the game, but just keeping an eye on the score.
I didn’t know which players were playing well or what the key storylines were because the game was on mute and I was only concerned with the score of the game.
My focus was on the numbers at the bottom of the screen or the ones in the upper right of the TV, instead of embracing the heart of the game taking place. I cared about who was winning and by how much and didn't have the right perspective on what was truly happening.
As I think about this concept of “only keeping an eye on the score,” I’m reminded of the other areas of life where this plays out. If we’re honest with ourselves, we all find times when we're too focused on the “score” and “who is winning.”
Both in marriage and at work, we might keep an eye on "the score" based on who is doing what or contributing more. We can quickly become consumed with who is "winning" while the wrong motives creep in, instead of being focused on serving the other person.
Philippians 2:3 (NLT) tells us, "Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves."
We also keep our attention on “the score” when it comes to money because we keep track of how much we have, how much we want, how much we can spend, and how much we’ll have for retirement.
It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but when we get so focused on the "numbers on the bottom of the screen" we might not see “the heart of the game taking place” and not have the right perspective on money.
Matthew 6:24 (NLT) explains, "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money."
Two other ways we "keep an eye on the score" are when we compare ourselves with others and allow envy to creep in, and when we keep score with who has wronged us.
The following verses can encourage us in these areas:
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (NLT) says, “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.”
Galatians 5:26 (CSB) gives us this challenge: “Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” Today, let's shift our eyes beyond the score and comparison, greed, envy, and selfishness. Let's keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and become aware of what's really going on in our hearts. Thankfully, God isn't keeping an eye on our score and continues to show us grace and love while being more concerned about our hearts aligning with Him. “All the ways of a man are clean and innocent in his own eyes , but the Lord weighs and examines the motives and intents ” (Proverbs 16:2; AMP). PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please forgive me for being too focused on keeping score in life. You have shown me so much grace and love and I pray I'd rest in that. Help me become who You've called me to be, and have a heart aligned with You. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen. Discussion Questions for PACKS:
Which of these areas do you find yourself keeping score the most?
In what ways does your perspective need to change the most?
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