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Articles
Seeing the Game as God Sees it
As we watch our young folks compete in sports and other events, we can learn a lot about what the bible teaches about Christian character. Naturally everybody likes to win and rightfully, so that's what makes it a competition. You can often learn more when you lose than when you win. In other words, it isn't the team with the most points on the score board that’s always the winner, in the eyes of God.
Our young folks are often pressured by the world into thinking if you don’t win then you aren’t nothing. I recently saw outstanding Christ like characteristics from a couple of our young men at church as I watched them compete. The first young man was in an archery competition in which he -was teamed up with another young man who had to wear leg braces due to a handicap. This little fellow was very humble for obvious reasons. He kept telling his partner, which was from a different school, how good that he was and didn't give himself much credit. So, this young man from our church started telling the young fellow with the low self-esteem, what he might do to help improve his shooting. He went on to tell him that every point he made, could be the winning points that his team needed to win. It is also worth noticing that the little boy kept telling his new friend how thirsty he was, so at the end of the tournament, the tittle boy from our church, asked his dad to go and get the little boy with the handicap something to drink. The happiness in the little boys' eyes just to get a drink, was priceless. The act of compassion our little guy from church showed on those who were less fortunate, was of far greater value than who won the archery competition. The first lesson we should learn from this story is to have compassion on others.
Second lesson to be learned from another young man from our church, is that coming from a young basketball player. Not long ago I had the pleasure of watching him play and believed that I saw the game as God would see it. It was a tough game when Rockcastle played Boyle County at Boyle County. This young man goes to our church, and I was amazed at the self-discipline that he possessed. The game was not going good for Rockcastle and this young man showed exemplary respect to the other team and to the officials even when trailing behind. This young man showed patience with his teammates and the game. He never gave up and gave it all that he had until the end of the game. This my friends says volumes about his attitude and his character. You can not be a loser if you master these Christian characteristics. Granted, we all like to win but in the end, God will determine who the real winners are.
Do you ever think about the way God sees the game?
Robby Cable
Providence Church of Christ (606) 305-8452
