I just watched a gem of a movie. It was School of Life and starred Ryan Renyolds. School of Life is a 2005 film about a teacher who moves to a town and shakes the old school ways up a bit. I will list this as a must see. No spoilers here except to talk about one scene from the movie.
The junior high where Renyolds’ character becomes a teacher had not won a single game in any sport, ever. The coach was horrible and begged Renyolds to take over coaching the team. He transformed the team in a way that I wish every team could be transformed. He did not take a bunch of no-talent kids and turn them into winners. He took a bunch of ‘feeling sorry for themselves’ kids and filled them with joy.
He knew the kids could not win. That did not mean they couldn’t have fun. What he did was to have the kids cheer every time they did something right or wrong. They also cheered for the other team every time they scored against them. There was nothing that could happen in the game that the kids did not cheer for. When they cheered, they were full of joy and when they were full of joy they had fun. It didn’t matter if they won or lost. They won because they were happy.
And their joy and happiness were infectious. Soon the parents were cheering right along side their children. The games became something the entire school looked forward to instead of something they dreaded. That is what joy can do for your life.
A joy-filled person can cheer when someone else does well. Your success does not matter to mine. I don’t need you to fail so I can do well. I have no reason to demand that someone in power come and take what you have away to give it to someone else.
I was sent to a management course many years ago. The instructor had us do a group activity where she tied a balloon to everyone’s ankle with a piece of string. The instructions were simple. At the end of two minutes, anyone who still had their balloon intact would be the winner. When she said go it was a flourish of chaotic activity. Every one tried their best to pop the other’s balloon while desperately trying to keep theirs from being popped. The ones who lost their balloons ganged up on the few remaining. At the end of two minutes not a single balloon remained.
Then the instructor asked us one simple question. What were the instructions? Anyone who still had their balloon at the end of two minutes would be the winner.
Who said anything about popping the other balloons? We all could have been winners if we had just stood there and done nothing. Instead, our competitive nature kicked in and we tried to win by making the others lose. Worse, those who had already lost ganged up to make as many others lose as possible.
This is the mindset of the devil and one of the tools he uses to separate us one from another.
Do not fear when a man becomes rich,
when the wealth of his house grows great.
At his death he will not take along anything,
his glory will not go down after him. – Psalm 49: 17-18
Do not be envious at another person’s success. Do not allow your heart to covet what they have. Do not celebrate when someone fails and never wish ill on anyone. Instead, be genuinely happy for them.
