Awards or Influence?

(Part 2 of the Beyond Trophies series,
 dedicated to my friends in Speech and Debate,

but you'll find the ideas apply in a much broader context.)

So if trophies have these troubling traits (See Part 1) and their thrill is only temporary at best, what else is there to pursue?

I really must start by letting you know that I’m all for excellence, so I don’t want you to think that if you replace trophies with another goal that you have to give up pursuing excellence.  Not at all!  No, I want to challenge you to consider the reason you pursue excellence.  Think about it this way—“For what purpose am I pursuing excellence?”

What if you were to choose to use your platform to do something that lasts longer than trophies?  And that lasts even longer than those great communication skills—valuable as they are—that the coaches are always promoting at the annual club kick-off meetings.

What if you gave a speech whose life didn’t end when you gave it for the last time--whether you take it all the way to a national competition or not?  And I don’t mean simply having it preserved on YouTube either.

Seriously, what if your speech could set something in motion in the hearts and minds of your listeners that would literally change their world?  What if, instead of temporary trophies, you went after lasting influence—for the sake of God’s kingdom priorities?  

I challenge you to ask God what speech He would like you to give.  Ask Him what He wants you to say.  Then write it (or cut it), give it, and then rest in the fact that, whether you earn a plastic trophy or not, you delivered a message that will outlast any first place trophy.  There is such a thing as treasure in heaven, and according to Jesus, it lasts.

The last time you give a speech doesn’t have to be the end.  Instead, it could be only the beginning!  Why?—Because if you give the speech God gave you to give, then somebody is going to go home and live differently tomorrow—and the day after that—because of something you said!

In case you’re wondering what this looks like in real tournament life, next time I’ll tell you what happened to some students you might even know.