Win with grace

Another one of Ortberg's criteria for being the kind of player that other people want to sit next to -- also known as living with grace -- is learning to win with grace.

He tells a story of Abraham Lincoln. After Lincoln one the presidential election, he placed his political rivals on his cabinet -- an unheard of move today. One of those men, Edwin Staton, had been the Attorney General. Lincoln, who had many reasons to particularly dislike the man, appointed him as Secretary of War. Lincoln set aside his pride and his hurt feelings, and not only appointed the best man for the job, but learned to depend on him. When Lincoln died, Stanton was crushed.

Lincoln won, but did it with grace.

Do we do that today? Are we more prone to feel self satisfied, proud or self righteous when we win? Or do we win with grace? Do we place loving the person in front of us over the everything else?

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.
Love doesn't strut,
Doesn't have a swelled head,
Doesn't force itself on others,
Isn't always "me first,"
Doesn't fly off the handle,
Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn't revel when others grovel,

To win gracefully means to love our "enemy."

Image: From Jesusquest 08