A few weeks ago, we went to an MSU home game. My husband is from Starkville and graduated from Mississippi State along with two of our sons. We are season ticket holders and truly a Bulldog family. As everyone in the SEC knows going to football games is fun and exciting – an event that families long for every year. This year our tickets are next to sisters who are in their seventies. They come with different family and friends to each home game. These ladies are diehard State fans and as sweet as they can be.
At this particular game, I felt some emotions that I have not felt in a very long time. The visiting team fans were in front of us and decided to NOT sit down – I mean – at all. As a football fan, I understand that there are plenty of moments to stand up during a ball game. We stand up for the National Anthem, kick-offs, and exciting plays. Some moments of a football game are meant to excite the fans to stand up. I get it, but these people stood up and continued to stand up for the entire first quarter. None of us could see over them, and this is where my encounter gets interestingly frustrating. One of the sweet sisters politely asked them to sit down to which a guy seemingly in his twenties turned around to her and rudely exclaimed, “NO!” Another person yelled out (along with a few others) “Down in front!” A girl, the same age as this guy turned around and yelled at all of us saying, “We paid good money for these tickets, so I can stand up if I want to!” Excuse me sweetheart, but everyone else paid the same for their tickets as well. The situation became tense as her dad chimed in as well. I was totally shocked. To make it even more exasperating, a State fan in front of them was encouraging them to keep standing! How could all of these people be so rude to the sweet older sisters and have no regard for anyone else behind them?
I decided to go down to speak calmly with the guy who was so rude to the sisters – to explain my health issues hoping for more compassion. I told him that many people just cannot physically stand up for that long. This young man turned away from me and would not acknowledge that I was speaking to him. Well, how frustrating. When the older sweet sisters were spoken to in such a rude way by much younger people, I actually felt righteous anger.
There is a time for this type of anger. We see it in the life of Christ. Read John 2:13-22 to see how Jesus was forcibly clearing out the temple. He was so angry with what was happening in the house of God. When we see things that do not please God and hurt other people, it should motivate us with righteous anger. When did the world of SEC football get so competitive that rudeness to your elders is acceptable? I think it goes deeper. We are living in a world of “Meism” where whatever I say or think or feel is correct, and woe to those who cross me. It makes living in the world highly frustrating, so what do we do? I had to deal with my emotions that were disturbing my peace. I asked the Lord to help me while sitting in the stands. While I was praying, I thought of random things such as – will these people be in church tomorrow? Will they experience any conviction of their sin? It did not seem from their fruit that they were believers. Even if they did not know Christ, what about common decency and morality? Listen, we are living in a world where our righteous anger can be aroused often. What are we to do with it?
Paul wrote much about how we are to live as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. In Colossians 3:12 we read, “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another.” Those words sound very much like the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians. Reading further in 3:15, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body and be thankful.” These people were messing with my peace or probably truer – I was letting these people mess with my peace. I was incensed that those younger people could be so ugly (as we say in the South) to the sweet sisters. It actually blew my mind, but I do not know why it should have. We see this in the world of “Meism” every day. I had to sit at the game praying that God would help me with what I was feeling. I told my husband that we should just completely ignore them to which he agreed. I prayed for them in my seat. It hurt my heart that this is where we are in the world right now. We may not be able to change the world, but we can certainly control our reactions to it. There is much in this world that makes us angry just as Jesus was, but the overarching position of our hearts should always be to love God and love people. If we are loving God, then loving people is easier.
By the way, these people continued to taunt us during the game, but everyone around us chose to ignore them. When we began winning, those visitors became very quiet, and yes, we won! No one around us said anything rude to them as the various groups began to leave early. One last group of visitors made an inflammatory comment as they left. Our entire area was silent. I would like to think that the guy I tried to talk with went home thinking about our conversation. We can be seed planters wherever we go. When we are frustrated and angry what should we put on? Put on and take up all the attributes of Christ that have already been given to us by the power of His resurrection. We need to appropriate what is already in us so that we keep our peace and joy. The world is watching.
Tracey K. Thompson
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