Both of us grew up in sports and we pray that our future children will have a similar love for sports. Now as adults, we realize how much of an impact sport has on everyday life. There have been many situations in life with people we encounter, tough days at work, simple little tasks that we have been able to handle in a positive way because of life lessons we’ve learned from sports.
We want to share with you what sports means to us and encourage you with life lessons we have learned along the way!
1. Sports means being a part of a team.
Chip had the opportunity to work for Under Armour for 3 years in Kansas City. A big part of his job was being on a team in which he had to communicate thoroughly and effectively. It is easy to get too busy and not speak life to others in corporate America. Same goes for sports: for instance, you don’t have a good game or race and you’re upset and choose to let that affect how you treat your team. We encourage you to continue to be competitive, but also lift your teammates up at the same time. Being a part of a team means encouraging, loving and being there for one another. You never know what a person is going through. 1 Corinthians 12:14 says “The body of Christ, or the people that are the whole of humanity, are a team. The body is not supported by one person, but by all of us. We are one, we are strongest working together in unity. Teamwork is the key to living life in harmony, so that we can do God’s will.”
2. Sports means submitting to and respecting authority.
Morgan is employed as a nanny. One of the biggest takeaways she has learned from her charges is that children don’t have to be taught to sin. Children do, however, have to be taught to follow directions, share and to recognize that Mom and Dad are in charge. In sports, your Coach hopefully has the best intentions for you and though you may not always agree with him/her you learn to understand someone else’s way of thinking. You begin to realize your way may not always be the right way. This attitude goes a long way in the real world. Both in nannying and in sports, Morgan has learned to exercise humility. The Bible states God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). Submitting to authority as a youth isn’t always easy and most of the time not fun.
A side note concerning submitting to those in authority: As we’ve matured, we realize how important it is to spend time with our parents. They continue to get older and sadly, our time with them is limited. We have decided collectively that we will put aside our busy to do list to spend quality time with family. We have chosen to honor our parents in this way.
3. Sports mean being competitive yet graceful.
Chip and I agree to disagree on the phrase, “learning to lose." Being competitive is awesome and comes naturally to both of us, but losing is something that sometimes takes quite a few days/weeks/months to get over. There have been countless races where I have not won and quite frankly, run a horrible race. Instead of getting down and out about the loss, I have been reminded that God gave me the strength and passion for running in the first place and all glory is His. In those moments of defeat, I have felt hopeless when I didn't run a PR or earned a medal. I want to encourage you that Jesus went through so much for each of us. Giving His life up doesn't begin to compare to losing a race. The Bible is clear when it admonishes us to do ALL things for God’s glory (I Corinthians 10:31). ALL means everything. Victories and defeats!
We both realize that loving Jesus is easy but walking the walk with everyday struggles isn’t quite so easy. We encourage you to keep seeking Jesus, pray fervently, worship, and have a time every day when you sit qietly with Jesus reading your Bible. Allow Him to speak to you through His Word.
God is always with you.
