Winning at God’s Game

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Today’s reading: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

I grew up playing a number of sports competitively, but was not very successful. I was always told that I had a lot of potential, but I never managed to capitalize on it.  Likewise with the professional teams that I still follow: the Houston Astros, the Chicago Cubs, the Houston Oilers (now the Tenessee Titans), the Houston Texans, the St. Louis Blues, the Dallas Stars. I’ve seen great moments with all of these teams, but they are hardly known for winning consistently. They too, have difficulty living to their potential.

Nevertheless, sports have always been a top, valuable priority in my life, and today’s reading helps me understand why. It is through sports that I have learned to win at a much more important game — the game Paul talks about in verse 25. “And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.”

Winning can be fleeting even for the best of teams and players. Why even the greatest hitters in baseball only reach base about a third of the times they bat. And I’ve seen some of the greatest tennis players in history (Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, even Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors) lose  dramatically to teenagers in the first round  of tournaments they were supposed to win.

Also, I’ve heard more than one story of great athletes who have retired from their sports, not because they could no longer play well, but, rather, because, the game was no longer fun — even in victory.

Sport teaches its participants to strive for mastery. That’s a great thing to learn. It’s thrilling to watch a person achieve that mastery by winning, and it’s even more exciting to be that person. (Yes, I have known a few victorious moments in my athletic life.)

But Paul points out to us that sport is just a good tool for developing the mastery that really matters, living entirely for God.

Though I never lived up to my potential in baseball, soccer, tennis, bowling or golf (or any other sport, even chess), I  learned to develop my passion for those  sports into a seriousness for winning at God’s great game of life and discipleship. And though I am not perfect at God’s game either, I do know that I win more than I lose, and my record is improving every day.

Thanks be to God for the great lessons of sports.  (Gooooo Astros!)