The Sore Winner

“Swear to me therefore by the LORD that you will not cut off my offspring after me, and that you will not destroy my name out of my father’s house.” And David swore this to Saul. 1 Samuel 24:21-22

I’m not that competitive of a person . . . until it comes to the gym. There, I have what I believe to be fun, healthy rivalries with my friends. In competing, we motivate each other, making each other better, stronger, and faster. It’s simply a fact that I work much harder when I’m being pushed by my buddy. Though there may be some minor teasing about who won and who lost, we’re genuinely cheering for each other to be better. The loser is never bitter, and the winner is never condescending.

I’ve found though, that I do have a little darker side when I’m competing against someone I don’t know, who isn’t my friend. When I go to a competition and I lose to a total stranger, I find I’m not quite as gracious, as these mean little thoughts pop into my head – I bet he’s using steroids. I recognize this as sore loser thinking though, and so, I let it go. Something similar happens when I win as well, as I’m tempted to think – In your face, steroid-man! The only thing worse than a sore loser, is a sore winner. The sore winner isn’t satisfied with his victory, but rather, he finds pleasure in humiliating his opponent even further.

Character may be revealed in losing, but it’s also revealed in winning. You can discover a lot about a person by observing how they handle success. This principle is illustrated in today’s passage, in which David let it be known to King Saul that he could have killed him, but he did not. Saul was humbled by David’s mercy and recognized David as the future king. In doing so, he had one request – that David spare his children. David would have been justified (in the world’s eyes) in destroying the line of Saul, but being a gracious winner, he chose healing instead of vengeance. In doing so, David displayed his godly character which contrasted sharply with Saul’s selfish, vengeful character. Saul was a sore loser, and he would have been an even worse winner. There’s a clear reason why God chose David over Saul to be king.

If you want to know someone’s character, watch how they handle failure. Then, watch how they handle success. When they lose, do they blame others, making up lies and excuses? When they win, do they act even worse, taking vengeance on their enemies? The only thing worse than a sore loser, is a sore winner.