Self-Control in Athletics

I am a sports junkie. Always have been, probably always will be. I can remember sitting by a short wave radio in the middle of the night in the bush in Nigeria trying to listen to an Alabama football game with my dad. I played sports (or played at them) from the time I could walk all the way thru High School, Harding, and afterwards for several years. Both of my boys played all kinds of sports all the way thru High School on into college. The #2 doesn't even work on my TV remote anymore because ESPN is on channel 26 and I have worn it out! Seriously! Get the picture? I'll watch just about any sporting event besides hockey and NASCAR......and I just offended quite a few folks with that confession. SORRY! I will keep trying, ok? :)

I wanted to make sure you knew that I am not some guy who just is a casual fan. Quite the opposite, I say with a sense of confession. I probably need to go to some sports addiction help-group. "Hello, my name is David and I am a sports-aholic". I wish I had given the Lord as many hours as I have given sports. I hope I can change this for my last 20 years or so. Remind me of that from time to time, will you?

Ok, having said ALL of that I have a question. Why do we as Christians accept out of control behavior from our coaches and players that we would NOT accept anywhere else? Why is it ok for a coach to yell and scream in anger at an official, but you would be appalled if he did that to his waiter at Dairy Queen or Pizza Hut? If we acted in the way that we accept from our coaches and players at times, we very easily could be arrested. No, I don't think that is much of a stretch. So how did we get here? I think one huge factor is that we decided a long time ago that athletics was outside of our Spiritual walk. Have you ever heard these: "It's just sports!" or "It's just a game, what does it matter?" I have, and I bet you have too. I've seen folks that on Sunday mornings for YEARS looked as if they were in a comatose state, yet the night before you would have thought they would have strangled to death some opposing player or official if they could have got their hands around the enemies neck. So which place were they showing their true colors, and don't say "both". I'm not buying it. It's the epitomy of hypocrisy. Now, I don't have any problem with folks who realize they have a problem with self-control and admit it. I have been there too! But here is what gets my goat.....when people try to make excuses for themselves and others, and rationalize it as being ok! That is when I become troubled. How would I explain to an unbeliever that a Christian is allowed to act like an idiot, get angy, lose self-control.........all because it's a sporting event?!?! Our walk is a 24/7 deal, isn't it? When non-believers come to our sporting events, do they see a difference in us? Let me go out on a limb here and say "no", for the most part. That is sad. And I think we will be accountable.

As I heard Randy Harris ask several times this past year...."What in God's name are we doing?" Because after all, isn't everything we do supposed to be in His name?

See if you can make a difference the next time you are at a ballgame. I bet He would have.