Youth sports.
For our family: our two oldest boys play. The youngest one (a girl)–hasn’t necessarily expressed all that much interest but put her in the gym and she does want a basketball in her hand (which makes this basketball coaching momma happy). We try and balance. It is tough. It can be demanding and some weeks it takes up probably more time than we would like. But our boys love it–whether in the gym with a basketball or on the baseball field. The sport isn’t something that is promised to them forever (you can ask me about a career-ending knee injury)…we know they are not being “recruited” at 9 or 12…but they learn.
They learn a lot–being a good teammate, how to overcome, importance of work ethic, using their talents, perseverance…
And sometimes they learn from others–maybe not necessarily from “positive” situations.
Last weekend was just one of those not positive situations.
But this post isn’t about what “the other” side did…it is about me and what I learned about myself.
Sometimes I forget who I am and whose I am.
As tensions rose during a situation, I really wanted to go over and give the opponents “a piece of my mind”…until I realized I was wearing a shirt displaying the school and basketball program I am a part of…if I were to go and say what I was really “feeling” at the moment with all of the emotions, I could have compromised the integrity of who I was representing wearing my shirt.
But even more than that, I would have compromised the name I bear and who gave His life for me—Christ.
I was “fighting for the right cause”—the other team had broken the rules, but I was not planning on doing it in the way Jesus taught us to do while He lived here and walked here on earth as a man.
He had emotions. He had temptations. Yet he never yielded to them.
He looked past whatever was going on with the person–entangled with sin, needing to be healed, whatever the situation was—and looked at their soul. He cared for individuals. And Jesus responded accordingly. Not in haste, not saying the sin was “okay”, but in love.
One of my favorite examples is in John 8. When He was in the temple teaching and a woman was brought to Him who had been caught in adultery. Not only was he dealing with that, but the people who brought her to Him wanted to “test” Him. Jesus didn’t scream and yell at them–either one of these situations. Instead, he calmly responded…told the crowd that those without sin among you to throw the stone, and went and drew in the dirt. And because of this response, it says those who heard it were convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. When no one was there except the woman, he tells her to sin no more. He didn’t condone what she had done–He loved her enough. He didn’t want her to be “lost” anymore…..
We right now are facing lots of tension in our world. Lots.
Are you responding with your emotions, with what you think is right, or are you responding with a heart like Jesus–not condoning behavior if it is wrong, but looking at a soul that just might be lost?
Are you responding with your citizenship residing in heaven first and foremost?
What are you contending for?
That name you wear gave His life for you. So you could have that citizenship in heaven. So you could be healed.
Live for Him–in all you do. And love people just like He did and continues to do today. Have your speech seasoned with salt. Remember who you are and whose you are. Don’t let those emotions drive your actions. Let Him and the Word be your lamp guiding you on this earthly journey.
Be the light. In youth sports…on a social media…in your daily interactions with all people. Your words and actions matter. That is what people remember. Look at their soul. Know they are valuable to God. Contend for the faith. Point them to Him.
“Darkness does not drive out darkness…..” (MLK, Jr.)
Anchored to Him,
Leigh Ann
