How to Be a Happy Sportsperson: Game DaySample

To succeed in sport, you are told you must eat, drink, and breathe the game. Winners must be committed. There is no room for the half-hearted. There is no place for putting anything else in first place in your life. It’s all in or get out. Once again, we face a cultural expectation for sporting excellence that appears to be at odds with Jesus' perspective. Jesus says that to be truly happy, you must “hunger and thirst for righteousness” before you yearn for sporting success. However, there is no conflict between Jesus' words and sporting ambition. This becomes clear when you understand that “righteousness” means a right relationship with God. The basic human desire to be right with God is a spiritual requirement. Jesus is saying that nothing in the world can make a person as happy as being in a right relationship with God. Once this foundation is established, there is scope for finding further satisfaction by being highly committed to your sport. All sportspeople know this deep down. You understand that the joy of playing well and winning is transient. It is impossible to gain deep, long-term, personal fulfilment from sporting success alone. Injury, loss of form and deselection are everyday experiences in sport. Therefore, you are fully aware that sport cannot be the ultimate source of happiness. Jesus says you can only be “filled” with true happiness by being in a right relationship with God. Therefore your priority today is to be ‘hungry and thirsty for righteousness.’ The way to be in a right relationship with God is not by trying to be good enough or following specific rules. The only way to be in a right relationship with God, the only way to receive righteousness, is by receiving the gift of new life, which comes through the death and resurrection of Christ and receiving his Spirit to live in you. As you prepare for today’s game, it is critical to remind yourself of these truths. Hunger for the right relationship with God is the source of all happiness. So stop, talk to God and ensure this relationship is in the primary place right now. Then focus on the gift of sport that your God has given you. God has made you right with him. God will be with you for the rest of your life. He is with you in your sport today, regardless of the result. So, get on with the game. Today is another opportunity to enjoy using your God-given sporting gifts to compete to your very best level. Don't be half-hearted but be full-on and fully committed to giving it your all. ## Pray for yourself Dear Lord, As your follower, help my life be marked by a hunger and thirst for righteousness. Lord, make my relationship with you the most significant in my life. I’m sorry when other things get in the way and drown you out, including my sport. Lord, help me delight in the wonderful gift of sport today, a gift you have given me. Thank you for being with me today, win, lose or draw. In your name, Amen. ## Pray for your friends. Finally, take a few minutes to pray for your sports friends and colleagues - that God will open a door for his message in your club or team.