Faith and sports, they seem like incompatible concepts. How can you be a Christian and still go out on the court, field, pitch, track, etc. and try to physically beat your opponent? It’s not easy, that’s for sure. A youth pastor I once served with said that he loved sports “because if you can be a Christian in the face of intense competition, then you can do it anywhere.” Legendary basketball coach John Wooden stated that “sports do not build character; they reveal it.” The athletic field can be a great training ground for life. Athletics give you a stage to show who you are to your teammates, opponents, and to anyone else who follows your sport. You become a “witness” to your own life experiences. Being an athlete automatically brings with it a certain responsibility to be a role model to those who look up to you; the only choice is what you do with the opportunity.
The real key to “Christlike athletics” is having a biblical view of competition. Competition is not about winning at all costs or humiliating your opponent; it is about striving to better yourself by overcoming some sort of contested struggle. Proverbs 27:17 says “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Even those in ancient times recognized that competition brought accountability and balance to society. Also, the ancient Greeks (who actually first developed organized sport) required athletics in their education. They developed sports not only to better the health and wellness of their youth, but athletic competition was considered to be an act of worship. Even the fathers of modern sport, such as James Naismith (the inventor of basketball), were devout Christians, a fact that you would be hard pressed to find on Google. Athletic competition is more than just an activity, it is an manifestation of who you are as a person.
My high school track coach always reminded us that “champions are made when no one is looking.” This is so true in all of life – who you are in public is shaped and sculpted by what you do in private. Are you disciplined in body, mind, and spirit? Are you consistent in effort and attitude whether at practice or on the big stage? Are you competing for your own glory or for God’s glory? These are questions that only you can answer. These are some basic things that you need to wrestle with if you want to learn how to compete in “Christlike athletics.” Let me leave you with this verse:
“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. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. ”
- I Corinthians 9:24-27
- A part of the CLAY Team Sports Ministry Handbook
