“Life Lessons I Learned from Cup Stacking” – by Will Hardy
Posted by sam
1. Foundation
One thing that is essential to cup stacking is making sure you are stacking on a solid, sturdy foundation. Throughout my time in the cup stacking skill, we had a blast stacking on all sorts of foundations- Spilman tables, two square courts in front of the Lake Lodge, on top of the horses, the blob and even on top of Ron’s desk (shhh let’s still try to keep this a secret). Needless to say, each location definitely did not stack the same. The blob was a nightmare- we lost a few good cups out there. It was a big-time struggle to complete the cycle on the rigid, sloping spine of Thunder, the horse. In front of the Lake Lodge was a good location, but occasional wind and a slanted ground were tough. The tables of Spilman were the best. When testing out the different foundations, it reminded me of the story on foundations in the gospels-
“Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” – Luke 6:47-49
The blob, horses and front of the Lake Lodge are all good stacking places, but they are not the best. In my life, I have learned that baseball, school, music, and even cup stacking are all good, powerful and enjoyable things that the Lord works through, but they are not the “foundation on rock” and Hope of Salvation that Jesus Christ offers.
Q: What things in your life do you, mistakenly, make your foundation instead of Jesus Christ? What’re ways you can make those areas less and the Lord more?
2. Comparison
When cup stacking I often found myself comparing myself to the person next to me. Did I beat the famed Adam Davis or did I fall short? Did Josh Tillery annihilate me again or did I inch past him? There are often two results that occur when you compare yourself to your neighbor stacker:
1. Your opponent is really bad. As a result, you end up winning a bunch and makes you feel like you got it going on. In the end however, you go to nationals and get crushed because you thought you were better than you actually were
2. Your opponent is phenomenal. In this case, you lose often and as a result, you also lose your confidence to continue
It is so easy to compare yourself to others, which I am definitely guilty of, however the Bible reminds us that we should seek the approval of God, not man.
“Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.” – 2 Corinthians 10:12
Q: When do you find yourself comparing against others? Why do we do that? How does it make you feel to know that the Lord made you in His image?
Your friend,
Will Hardy
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