Awards

I had some thoughts about awards while I was attending my daughter's graduation from the eighth grade into high school yesterday. Later, she said, "I could tell you were thinking about something, Daddy." I love that kid. Here's what I was thinking: I was proud and happy for the kids who earned awards for being the best at math or for having the best character. I was especially proud for the kids who won awards for excellence. Wow, how great is it to be recognized for being excellent? The last time I won an award for anything was in the 11th grade when I won the David Award from my Bible teacher for having a heart for God. Very cool award. I had no idea at the time that my Curriculum Vitae would never have an "Awards" section. I have had the opportunity to be a part of the process of nominating and selecting people for awards--great ones, too. I've twice nominated the eventual winner of the Family of the Year Award for the Montgomery area. I've also several times nominated and awarded the Francis Asbury Award for the person who has made the greatest contribution to campus ministry in our area. I went through many years of award ceremonies related to my three post-high school degrees. Believe me, I deserved no award for anything while I was in college, unless Oral Roberts University has an award for mediocrity in everything from late night poker to off-key worship leading. But in my eight years of seminary and doctoral work, I earned only two Bs and saw a whole whale of a lot of teachers' pets win awards although their grades were significantly lower than mine. Part of me always said, "Who cares? What difference does an award make? It doesn't mean anything. I'm not here for an award. I'm here for an education. They should call these awards, 'Most likely to work in the development office.'" Still, I've struggled against a kind of gnawing, almost sick feeling in my gut many times during an awards ceremony when I wasn't sure if I deserved the award but I knew the person who was receiving the award did not deserve it as much as I did. It's hard to work hard and to be overlooked, to determine not to take it personally. There are many factors that go into the selection of an award besides the issue of who actually deserves it. In seminary, the people who hang out with the professors get the awards, and student pastors don't have time for that kind of thing. Sometimes, the coach's kid gets the coach's award because the coach gives his kid the award although the kid doesn't deserve it. And sometimes, the coach's kid deserves the coach's award and the coach has the good taste to give the award to some other kid. Sometimes, the person who does the nominating probably deserves the award more than the person who he or she nominates. Sometimes the evangelism award goes to someone who is perceived to be evangelical, not necessarily to the person who reaches the most people for Christ. Sometimes, someone gets the award for something done in the past when he or she should have gotten the award, and the person who ought to get the award now has to wait or maybe never be recognized. Sometimes, the kid whose parents give a lot of money to the school edges out the kid who maybe should have won the award but his parents don't give a dime. Sometimes, a person wins an award because of the pull of the person who does the nominating. I sometimes wondered if only Presbyterians had a true shot at winning any awards at the Presbyterian seminary where I got my doctorate. I'm quite sure there were ideological reasons that folks whose academic work was less than superior won awards at my seminary. So, should we tell our children not to care about awards and that they don't mean anything? I don't think so. Awards are there not for the winners. The awards are there to hold up the standards they celebrate, whether it be in scholarship, ethics, character, or even having a heart for God. There are a couple awards I would like to win. More importantly, I would like to live my life in such a way that I can know that I've deserved them whether I win them or not. I left the awards ceremony the other day with the determination that I would tell my daughter to live her life in such a way that she deserves the character award every day, whether anyone notices or whether or not she ever wins it. And if you get passed over, you're in good company. Jesus was, after all, "The stone that the builders rejected."