Christianity and Sports

It happened already. 3 posts in and I've already veered off of what I was going to talk about. Right Living will come, don't worry. But for now, I wanted to talk about something that I've been thinking about for a long time that no one seems to say when it comes to sports and the outcomes of competition. 

If you ask someone if God cares about who wins a sporting event (lets use football), you generally get one of two answers:

"God doesn't care about who wins a football game! He is concerned about more important things! Football doesn't really matter." 

"God wanted that team to win because (insert player here) is a Christian."

You knew I was talking about this guy...

Remember Tim Tebow? Remember when every single success on his part was attributed to divine intervention? That seemed to make sense considering how bad he is/was at the quarterback position. People credited God for his successes (partially because there really was no other explanation...he could barely throw a spiral), but what about now? He spent a season on the bench with the New York Jets, and then they released him. Sports commentators were discussing whether Tebow would ever play NFL football again. I'm sure some football fans sarcastically said, "Hey Tebow! Where is your God now?" (Yes, I know he just got picked up by the Patriots.)

So what happened? Was God a fan of the Broncos for one year and jumped off the bandwagon? What about all of the other teams with Christians? If Adrian Peterson and the Vikings plays against Tim Tebow and the Broncos, who does God pick? They can't both win. (yes, Adrian Peterson is a Christian too). Is God on a team's side when they lose? Does God even care about the result of a sports competition anyways?

Does God favor Adrian Peterson over Tim Tebow? That's only if stat sheets are indicative of God's favor

God's plan definitely uses the scoreboard, but I don't think He has a favorite team. I highly doubt that Jesus is sitting in Heaven, seated at the right hand of the Father, wearing a Baltimore Ravens jersey right now. (Or a Miami Heat jersey...btw go Lakers)

Let's be real. God has a grand plan for humanity. His plan spans every single event that takes place on this Earth. And that plan does not include Christians winning every sporting event they participate in. Just because you say a prayer before the game does not mean you're guaranteed the victory. I cannot stand hearing coaches tell their players "they may be tough, but we have God on our side" like he is the invisible man on the field ready to help you win the game. Because I'm sure there are plenty of games where both teams are praying that same prayer. What if God's plan is that you lose the game? No one ever says that. Its always either "God gave so-and-so the victory and rightfully so because so-and-so is a true Christian!" or the Christian community goes silent on the topic of sports. 

It's like we think we deserve the victory, but what if there is a greater, more important victory waiting for us on the other side of that loss, such as an opportunity to share the gospel with someone who would not have heard it if you won the game because you would have occupied with other things due to winning? Don't get me wrong, its great to see the winners get down on one knee, point to the sky, and thank God on camera after the victory - there's no doubt that God gets the glory there.

But what if Tebow's new "position" on the bench gave him the opportunity to share the gospel to his teammates in ways he could not have before because he would have been too busy as a starter? God still gets the glory, just in a different way that isn't in front of any cameras. And which is better? Thanking God in front of millions on live TV, or leading a teammate to Christ? During one, Christians around the world are vibing with you, and you can bravely say that you are not ashamed of your beliefs on while secular TV (Romans 1:16 -  For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes) For the Hypotehical Tebow situation, the angels in heaven rejoice over the new believer (Luke 15:10 - there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents...). God has legions of angels, so technically, the second situation will bring on a bigger "cheer from the crowd" if that's what we are going for. Regardless, both are equally importantmoments and a Christian in either situation should always remember to put God first and/or thank Him for the victory.

By the way, I'm not saying that backup football players are just sitting around all day with time to talk, I'm just making a point.

What if while I was playing golf this weekend, instead of doing great and reminiscing on all of my great shots on my way back to the car, I instead hit all of my golf balls in the water hazard (which I sadly almost did on the first hole). That causes me to end my round early and run into a staff member on the way back to my car. We get into a conversation because I have some extra time on my hands due to my short round of golf, and we end up talking about Christianity, and that leads him to read the Bible on his own and eventually come to faith. My horrible score on the course is now the reason that I got to interact with this person. While I understand that this too is a big hypothetical situation, I can guarantee that a similar story is behind hundreds of thousands of conversions. How many people did Jesus "run into" on his way somewhere?

1 Corinthians compares athletes to Christians, stating that "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" (1 Corinthians 9:25). Keep in mind, God did not put us on this Earth to win trophies or "crowns" as the verse says. Our victory is not always reflected by numbers on the scoreboard. However, our attempts to win these trophies are divinely intertwined with His will. We don't know His plan, but "we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)

So whether our favorite teams, our favorite athletes, or we ourselves win or lose a game, realize that there is something much bigger and much more important happening. God's will - His good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2) - is taking place, and it includes so much more than sports victories. It uses sports victories, and He can use a win or a loss to forward his plan.