**** THE GLORIFICATION OF SELF-ESTEEM

There are probably many indicators, in Christian Schools, of a gradual slide toward secularization and possibly, eventual ruin.  Political Correctness and the glorification of self-esteem might be warning signs. 

I was once asked to help judge a speech competition in a Christian school.  At first, I was excited for the opportunity until we received the judging instructions. We were told that no child should receive low scores; that all the children were winners just because they showed up. In the end, everyone took home winning ribbons. Sorry, but that is NOT a competition. In a competition, someone wins and everyone else doesn't. Second place is just the first loser.

That overly-sensitive mindset has permeated our society to the point that “competition” has become a dirty word.  Schools have prohibited games like Red Rover and Dodge Ball. In one school, the game of Tag is no longer allowed because someone’s self-esteem might suffer if he has to be “It.”
When my daughter was a new teacher at a local elementary school, she told me that her students played with the tetherballs on the playground, every day but they had never actually played tetherball; they had no idea that Tetherball was a game of competition with rules and that there would be a winner.  She had to teach them the game.

Just a few years ago, the national little league association decided to prohibit the keeping of scores in league games with the youngest players. With all their politically correct psycho-drivel, they reasoned that baseball should be played only for the fun, exercise, physical development, and encouragement but not for the competition.  So there would be no winners because that would mean there would be losers and the losers might feel bad. But what they didn't anticipate and couldn’t stop was the kid’s keeping their own scores. The kids know who are the real winners and the losers.

Theodore Roosevelt said, “It is far better to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory or defeat.”
Remember that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize. So run in such a way that you will win. I Cor. 9:24
...Don't think you are better than you really are.  Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.  Romans 12:3

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