Five Christian values sports can teach us
by Katie Brazelton and Gail Armatys
Many people would agree that some of our Christian values become obscure as we watch our sports heroes perform. Too often, family time is minimized, productivity at work falls, fights erupt on the field and in the stands, coarse words are exchanged, money is wagered and lost, bodies and hearts are broken. Is there anything good about sports anymore? Yes! In fact, sports can exemplify and teach biblical principles. Let's look at a few examples.
Be prepared. Athletes learn quickly that physical and mental preparation is critical to their success. Memorizing the playbook, practicing plays, lifting weights, and studying films are all part of a player's training. Likewise, preparation in spiritual disciplines is important to the unique impact we make for Christ and the level of joy we find on the journey.
"... be prepared in season and out of season." (2 Timothy 4:2 NIV) This instruction from Paul refers to our readiness to share God's Word. 1 Peter 3:15 tells us to "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." (NIV) Based on these two verses alone, we can see that preparation is essential to the game plan God has for us.
Everyday you suit up to play the game of life. You have a role to fulfill and lives to touch. How do you prepare? Do you pray, fast, keep a journal, confess sin, meet with an accountability partner, or enjoy a Bible study? How would you answer if you asked yourself each morning, "Am I prepared to respond in obedience when God calls on me to make a play?"
Persevere. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." (Hebrews 12:1 NIV)
Watch a great running back carry the ball. He twists and turns, ducks and dives. Often he is thrown off course and tackled. Other times he strips free from the attempts to stop him and scores. Before each play, he huddles with his captain to find out what he is expected to do next. That is perseverance.
Twisting, turning, ducking, falling, does this sound like your life? Ann Platz, author, book illustrator, and mentor to women, says that she perseveres by viewing roadblocks as times of refreshment and joy. "I finally figured out that roadblocks are often God's test of our character; other times they are just life or the enemy's plan to use discouragement to halt our journey of spiritual growth. I am convinced that obstacles can become incredible doors of opportunities to those who choose to pray their way through them." (Praying for Purpose for Women, page 83)
When there are roadblocks in your life - circumstances or people who bring you down - how do you respond? Do you stop, turn around, and run the other way? Or do you press on, gain wise counsel, and stay focused on God and the path he has just for you?
Practice self-control. A professional athlete's workout regimen requires discipline and self-control in order for him/her to stay in the game. All of them know that regular training and practice is essential to success. Their incentive to live disciplined lives is found in the pay-off of victory.
As Christians, we have incentives, too. "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." (1 Corinthians 9:24 NIV)
The words 'strict training' in this verse imply self-control. Galatians 5:22 tells us that self-control is a fruit of the Spirit. It is fundamental to Christian life. As we respond to the challenges set before us in a spirit of self-control, Jesus is revealed. Football players win games through self-control, and Christians win the delight of our Lord - decidedly, the more preferable of the two.
Use your talent. John Wooden, the legendary coach of the UCLA Bruins, says this about talent, "No matter how you total success in the coaching profession, it all comes down to a single factor - talent." ( First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently: Marcus Buckingham, & Curt Coffman, 2003)
In the book, First, Break All the Rules, the authors, in an effort to dispel a major fallacy among managers, declare that one cannot teach talent; one can only hire those with talent.
From a Christian perspective, this makes perfect sense. What these authors seem to imply, knowingly or not, is that talents are predetermined within us. They cannot be taught because talents are given. "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us." (Romans 12:6 NIV) The Great Giver of Grace has blessed each of us with the specific gifts and talents we need to live out his plan for our lives.
Just as a coach knows his players and their talents, God is aware of every single one of your talents and skills. The question is this: Are you aware of your talents, and are you using them?
Focus. In sports, focus is placed on the outcome, the excitement, and often on a "player of the game" - a hero. The joy the athletes and fans feel as they focus on these things is temporary, lasting only until the next challenge, the next big game. In Christian life, focus is also placed on the outcome, which is life everlasting; it is on the excitement of the purposes God has given us; it is on our hero and savior (our Lord God Almighty). "True joy is not based on our circumstances. It is based on our acknowledgment of what Jesus has done for us." (Pathway to Purpose for Women, page 222) Unlike the temporary joy of winning a game, the Christian life reaps everlasting benefits.
Preparation, perseverance, self-control, using our talents, and focusing on God are all important pieces of our Christian life. If we look closely, we may find these practices exemplified in our favorite athletes as they compete. Then, when asked if there is anything good about sports anymore, we may answer with a resounding, "Yes!"
About Katie Brazelton and Gail Armatys
Katie Brazelton, Ph.D., M.Div., M.A., is the author of the runaway-selling, Pathway to Purpose for Women series, with her recent, best-selling anchor book being translated into 10 languages. She is the founder of Life Purpose Coaching Centers, InternationalTM, which trains Christian men and women internationally to become life purpose telephone coaches® and intensive, two-day, life plan facilitators. Visit www.pathwaytopurposeministry.com for more information. For years prior to Katie's book series' launch in 2005, she was a licensed minister at Saddleback Church. Now, she has begun the process of fulfilling her 1995 God-given dream of opening 200 Life Purpose Coaching Centers. Gail Armatys, M.S., was trained by Katie Brazelton as a Christian life purpose coach® and life plan facilitator.Gail is also a certified mediator, has her master's degree in marriage and family counseling, and is co-founder of a private college in Houston, Texas. Katie and Gail can both be reached at WomensInfo@LifePurposeCoachingCenters.com, if you reference the name of this article.
