RWC (2) - Little Brother

Rugby brings out a strange side of the New Zealand character. We seem to have a “little brother” attitude that shapes our thinking and behaviour. A little brother often has an unhealthy need to beat his older brother at something. Efforts to beat an older brother cannot lead to fulfilment. They are often destructive, because they distract little brother from becoming the person that he is meant to be.

In New Zealand, this little brother attitude creates a need to take on much bigger nations and prove that we are better than them. We were taught at school that during the two world wars, New Zealand soldiers were better than the Australian, British and American soldiers that fought alongside them (a dubious honour, if it was true). These days, the “small brother” insecurity mostly manifests through sport. We want to win the Rugby World Cup to prove that can be as good as other nations, despite our small size. The odd thing about this desire to be the best in the world is that only few nations play rugby, so winning the Rugby World Cup does not prove anything.

God has a purpose for New Zealand, and it is not to be the greatest rugby nation in the world. God wants to establish his Kingdom here, so we can be a light to the nations. We will only find peace as a people, when we fulfil that calling. Unfortunately, the desire to prove we the best in the world at Rugby is distracting us from our true calling, so even if we do win we will not be satisfied. Instead of trying to prove ourselves to the world, we should focus on being the people that God has called us to be.