“When pride comes, shame follows; it’s wiser to be modest."
~ Proverbs 11:2
It began at a Halloween party. Her father told his 7-year-old daughter to
watch over a shy, little girl. Esther,
dressed as a pirate found the black Ninja named Kay and grasped her hand. They didn’t let go the rest of the night. That single act marked the start of a
remarkable bond.
Kay and Ester weren’t simply good friends, they’d become
part of each other’s souls; the kind of friendship that blooms in the center of
your heart. Theirs was a kinship that grew
from a seed basking in the warm soil to a majestic tree with massive roots and
strapping, powerful limbs.
Among the things they shared in common, the two began
training in taekwondo, a Korean martial art that, unlike karate, emphasizes the
feet more than the hands. Soon they were
competing at the highest levels; eventually advancing to the finals in the
Flyweight division at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
As they feared it would, the time came for the two best
friends to fight. Dueling black belts,
as close as sisters, were each one victory away from claiming the single
remaining spot on the U.S. Olympic team bound for Sydney. One was destined to win; the other would see
her dream die.
Reporters and photographers were poised to record the intense
competition between two girls who’d been close for so long. But a sports story would soon be overshadowed
by a far more important friendship story.
The two combatants approached each other on the mat, bowed
and turned to the referee, who would start the bout. But before a single blow was struck, the
referee awarded the match and a spot on the Olympic team, to Kay.
Moments earlier, Kay had dislocated her kneecap in a semifinal
match and could barely stand. Though
ranked #1 in the world at her weight, it was doubtful that she could compete
against her best friend. In an
extraordinary display of selflessness, Esther had forfeited rather than “beat
someone who’d already been beaten.”
Esther later explained, “It hurt, but winning a gold medal
isn't everything. There are other ways
to be a champion. My gold metal is in my
heart.''
In allowing the better taekwondo fighter to represent the
United States in Sydney, she won a personal battle over ego and selfishness. Amidst frequent stories of cheating and taking
unfair advantage in order to win at any price, Esther showed how to win by
losing.
The Apostle Paul wrote (1 Corinthians 9:1-15) about giving
up certain “rights” for the sake of people he loved. Parents do it all the time for their
children. And occasionally friends make noble
gestures like Esther’s. C.S. Lewis
wrote: “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself
less.” Amen
Change me, Lord.
Change me from the inside. Open
my eyes to the blessings of humility. Let me not see humility as the world sees
it, but in its beauty and fullness of joy. Amen
