We can’t cover all these things in one night, so we are going to start
with school
To start, we’re going to watch The Simpsons: Lisa’s rival
[Sex Lies and the Simpsons…Lisa’s Rival]
The middle bit
At the begging of that episode, Lisa seemed to be proud of the fact that
she was the smartest girl in the class
How did she react when Alison arrived?
She felt jealous, envy
She began to doubt herself
What does it feel like to be good at something?
What kind of things / subjects do you find easy?
I guess the opposite of Lisa is Ralph…he just doesn’t get it…
What subjects / things do you find hard about school?
What would you like to be better at?
When Lisa told her mum about Alison, her mother said
“If you get too competitive, you’ll never be happy…”
What’s wrong with been competitive?
“no matter how good you are there’s always going to be someone better
than you”
Is it better to win or loose?
It depends on the reason…
[Motives]
Why do you think Lisa wanted to be better than Alison?
Status / to stand out
“She’s better than me at everything that makes me special”
The Bible warns us…
Galatians 6:3 ”If anyone thinks he is important when he is not, be is only fooling
himself. Each person should judge his own actions and not compare himself
with others.”
Why does the Bible tell us not to compare ourselves with others?
It’s unfair…we’re all different
We are all better at something’s than other people…
[Boasting…]
The Bible also tells us in James 3:13 – 15 ”Are there those among you who are truly wise and understanding? Then
they should show it by living right and doing good things with a gentleness
that comes from wisdom. But if you are selfish and have bitter jealousy in
your hearts, do not boast. Your boasting is a lie that hides the truth.
That kind of “wisdom” does not come from God but from the world. It is not
spiritual; it is from the devil”
What’s wrong with boasting?
[Humility / Pride…]
People who boast are always talking about themselves!
The Bible tells us to be humble…like servants…put others first
Phil 2:3 – 4 ”When you do things, do not let selfishness or pride be your guide.
Instead, be humble and give more honour to others than to yourself. Do not
be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of
others.”
What is pride?
What does it mean to be humble?
In the end Lisa gets so stressed about this, she sabotages Alison’s
diorama…
Have you ever cheated? What happened?
Conclusion
Eventually, Lisa realises that coming second is not the end of the
world...but she went though a lot to realise that
You are not just as good as your last exam result, you are far more
valuable!
Whether we are good or bad the Bible says that
God accepts you:
Romans 15:7 "Christ accepted you, so you should accept each other…"
We should live our lives with that in mind
God wants us to live our lives for him and other people…not ourselves, to
see our rivals and ourselves as he sees us…and if you do that, you won’t have
to boast…other people will do it for you!
Romans 12:15-16 “Be happy with those who are happy, and be sad with those who are sad.
Live in peace with each other. Do not be proud, but make friends with those
who seem unimportant. Do not think how cleaver you are”