Gold is one thing, God is another

We’re not the biggest TV watchers but when the Winter Olympics were in swing, we made it a nightly family viewing event at our house.

Except for the late time start for primetime coverage on the West Coast (none of us could stay up to finish a night’s coverage!), it was a lot of fun watching athletes compete at their highest levels, regardless of their country.

We watched the figure skating, the hockey, the curling, the biathlon (a personal favorite), the downhill skiing, the half-pipe, the speed skating (short track is another favorite), slopestyle and more.

These athletes are amazing and have such amazing stories and incredible talent.

But what I wish I’d seen more of is a willingness to give credit for such talent where it’s due: God.

There could be many reasons for this. Perhaps I missed it. There was so much going on every day, that evening highlights could hardly cover it all (my wife says she saw a few interviews glorifying God). Perhaps, there just weren’t enough Christian athletes being interviewed. Or maybe it’s just tough to be a star athlete and so open about your faith.

Even if it was the first two, it’s hard to argue that the third choice doesn’t play a part with the Olympics or any sport for that matter.

We love English Premier League football (sorry, soccer) at my house and one of my favorite players is Brazilian David Luiz who also happens to play for my favorite team Chelsea. Luiz is a great player, but sometimes he can be a bit unpredictable.

One day he’ll score a beautiful goal from a defensive position, while on another day you’ll wonder what he was thinking turning his back on that lone striker who just put the ball in the back of the net.

But what I love most about Luiz is how he gives it all up to God, the good and the bad. He prays before the game starts, he raises his fingers up to God during the game and I’ve even seen him take time to pray over teammates suffering a bad day.

He gets that God put him here to play soccer and he wants everyone to know it.

I think as parents we can do more to encourage this in our own children. We have no problem making time to drive the children to basketball practice twice a week, or to spend all day Saturday (even Sundays) driving across town (sometimes across state) to get to one or more games.

But do we spend a few extra moments explaining to our children how God created every inch of our body so that when we make that run down field or court and score that point, even God smiles at His creation?

Do we help them appreciate that it’s God who gave us the desire to play hard, have fun and excel at sports? Do we pray before games that we’re free from injury and that everyone plays with the same good sportsmanship that’s always required. Do we thank Him when the final whistle blows?

I’ve played a lot of soccer during my years, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I really began to sense how much God values community in sports as well as setting and achieving individual sports goals. It was partly because of an injury that I thought would keep me from ever playing again.

Now, I can no longer walk onto a soccer field without getting this immense smile and praising God for such a wonderful opportunity to run and kick and sometimes even score a goal.

Let’s set a Godly tone within sports for our own children. They’re our future athletes and Olympians.

Gold is one thing, God is another.

Shared at:
My Daily Walk In His Grace
Wednesday Link Party
A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Welcome Home Wednesday
Homemaking Link-Up (Raising Homemakers)
WholeHearted Home
Thriving Thursday
Proverbs 31 Thursday
Fellowship Friday
be Simply better
Heart-filled Fridays
Faith-filled Friday