What does the Bible say about sports? This is a question that has been on my mind recently. Believers that play sports have the power to bring God onto the field, turf, court or even mat. Athletes can not only share the word with their team mates but show God's love and light to them as well. As believers we have the power to give all the glory to God in everything we do wether it be work, school, games, practice or even going to eat. We have the opportunity to show God's love to others but it is our choice to make. So what are you going to do? Are you going to just go about your practice and follow along with the worldly things or are you going to encourage your teammates when they are having a rough day or even good day. Be the light in this world. We all need Jesus. We all need an uplifting person to be surrounded with. I think that it is so important to be kind to others. Even something as simple as a smile could make someone's day, a pat on the shoulder, a "good job" or "I have seen how hard you are working and keep it up."
I am not involved in playing a sport personally but I have friends that play sports. I don't know every single thing that comes into play with what they have to go through but I can only imagine that it is a lot. As athletes you always strive to do better and become a better player. The same thing as believers do. As children of God we always strive to do better and be better not just for us as individuals but for God as well. I think that as an athlete one may have a lot of pressure on themselves. Pressure to meet a standard expectation. Pressure to weigh a certain amount or bench a certain weight. Pressure to make your coaches and parents proud. Pressure of fans. People look up to you on and off the field. I can't begin to even think of all the things that one may deal with on a daily basis.
I asked some of my friends who are athletes what was the hardest part about being an athlete while serving the Lord and being a disciple for him. The first response I got was "Praising God when things are good and go your way but not blaming him when things go bad and you mess up."
I think that this is portrayed in a sense of it is normal for some people to only praise God when things are going good during practice or game. Or even only praising God when things are going good off of the field or court, in your life. We need God on the good day's just as much as we do on our bad days. I think that this is something that is so important for one to grasp and fully understand. When we have bad days or bad things happen to us it is easy to blame God. Often times we may ask, why would God let me do bad in practice this week or why would God allow bad things to happen to me. It is not God's fault when bad things happen. Even when something doesn't go the way we wanted there is still good in every situation. No one likes when they have bad days or practices but they make you appreciate the good days a little bit more. Bad times encourage you to do better and work harder. So the next time things don't go the way you would like them to or you expected don't blame God. Instead of blaming God it should set a fire in you to try harder, take a breath and refocus yourself. We wouldn't appreciate the good days if we did not have bad ones. You aren't always going to win every game or have perfect days in practice. I think that is such a beautiful thing about life because it gives you so much room for improvement and to better yourself. When we live for the Lord we have to live for him in all aspects of life. Not just in every part of our lives except the field and locker room but every part of our lives including the field.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 " Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
The second response I received was "following society views as it is okay and normalized because 9/10 times the Lord does not like those choices."
In life you have friends, teammates, coworkers and family members. I have always been told who you surround yourself with is who you will become like. When you are around people for a long period of time they start to become an influence on you wether that be a good influence or bad. You may start acting like they act or even saying things that they might say. It can be a good thing or it could be bad. I think that this can be a challenging thing. In our society these days peer pressure is something that has become an issue. You may not even realize that that is what is going on but it is real and it happens everyday. Society has normalized cussing, sex, drinking, drugs, and even lust. When people do these things and acts our generation does not see anything wrong with it. The times we are living in, our generation doesn't realize that it is a sin and something that they should not be doing or surrounded by. All of those things are a sin. Sex can be a sin it is not used how God envisioned it to be like. Cussing is a sin. God does not like to hear ugly words come out of your mouth. Using drugs is a sin. God does not want you in a different state of mind. Abusing alcohol is a sin if you don't drink in moderation. Lust is a sin. Instead of our society normalizing these things we should all be helping each other be better and not to sin. Out of this group of guys I know they all do something to hold each other accountable which I think is quite amazing. When one of them says a cuss word, they read a random Bible verse and this was put into place to help them not cuss. I think that it is so amazing to have a group of people to hold you accountable and help you grow and become better. Instead of encouraging sin, we should encourage others to not sin and see what we can do to help our brothers or sisters in Christ. So next time you have something bad happen, you get frustrated in practice at someone who didn't make the right play take a minute to yourself instead of cussing or acting out simply say a prayer or go talk to them and say a few kind words. If we all work together I believe that we can make this world a better place. So do your part. Self control is something that plays a big role in everyone's life, but especially in sports. I encourage you to pay more attention to what you are doing and hold yourself accountable.
1 Corinthians 9:25 "Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable."
The third response I had was "The hardest thing about being an athlete and serving the Lord is remembering to give God the glory no matter what. No matter if we do good or bad."
Often times before football games it starts off with a prayer. I think that this is something that is amazing. Prayer over safety, protection and both teams to have fun. If you think about it our purpose in life is to live for God. We are suppose to do all things for him in his glory no matter what it may be. When we give our lives to the Lord we do all things for his light to shine, not ours. I believe that it is so important to stay humble and be content in every situation. How can one glorify God while playing sports? One thing I think that you can do to glorify God on the field is let your actions show the power and love you have for God in your life. You can be an example to others on how far you have come from who you once used to be. You can share with others your testimony. It is not always easy to do what is right and not follow the worldly things. I know that it can be difficult at times but doing the right thing because it is not what is popular, following the right path makes you stronger. It is okay to be different. Doing the right thing will always be worth it at the end of the day. Doing what is right may cause you to loose friendships but you have to stand up for what you believe in even if it means you standing alone. Another thing you can do to glorify the Lord is having the right attitude and mindset. I believe that your attitude on and off the court or field has a great role in how your performance will be. If you stay positive then you will do great. If you have negative thoughts then you are more than likely not to do so great. Remember God is still good even if you loose a game. God is still good if you win a game. You have to have an attitude that God would have. We can't predict the outcome but we can predict what attitude we have about the situation. We don't know what is in store for us in the future but God holds our future so we have to put our faith and trust in him.
Matthew 23:12 "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."
To: Tristan, Temo, and Thomas
First, I am so proud of all of you. You are doing great things and I know that you will continue to do so. I can't being to imagine how hard it must be to keep up your academics, go to practice, be a disciple of God and maintain your social lives. It is so inspiring see how happy you all get around each other and how you all encourage each other in every aspect of life. You are some of my favorite humans in this life. I hope that something spoke out to you or encouraged you on this post. Thank you for supporting me to write this. I am honored to know you all && I can't wait to cheer you on when season starts. This is my prayer today for each of you.
Dear God, Thank you for blessing the specialist with their gifts and talents to play football to glorify you. I pray that they would use their gifts to honor you and that they may be a light for you in this world. I pray that they will encourage their teammates as well as their coaches. I pray that they may continue to be disciples for you even if that means they are doing it alone. Thank you for allowing them the freedom to play football. I pray they continue to grow in your word. Keep them safe and healthy. Help them remember to keep you at the center of their lives. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
<3 Sarah
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