How to Be a Happy Sportsperson: Game DaySample

I don’t know if you’ve heard somebody say, ‘what goes on tour stays on tour?’ This means that when a club or team travels to compete, the inappropriate social and sexual activities people engage in are not to be reported to their families. This represents the cultural belief that you should not bring ‘home’ life, your ‘private’ life, to your sport. They are two separate worlds and should not be mixed. We have reached the last of Jesus’ eight explanations to his disciples about how you find true happiness in life. This explanation is three times longer than the others. Before we begin, let’s recall the previous descriptions of Christian discipleship, of the lives of those who follow Jesus. The first three characteristics describe the humility, sadness and modesty you experience when you become aware of how far short you are from God’s moral standards. The fourth characteristic explains that this understanding leads to a desperation to be right with God. This pivotal point is one whereby you believe the good news that Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection paid the penalty for your guilt before God and that you can restart your life with God’s spirit living in you. The fifth to seventh characteristics of discipleship indicated the impact of this new life under God’s guidance and rule. You become more merciful, authentic and increasingly centred on others rather than yourself. You might have thought that if you become the kind of person captured by these seven descriptions, you would be universally popular at your club or team. And yet, in this eighth characteristic of a disciple, Jesus says that you will be persecuted. Why? The answer is that you are persecuted “because of righteousness” and that for this reason, you are now a citizen of “the kingdom of heaven”. Because you have accepted Jesus Christ as your saviour and ruler, every time you show the characteristics that represent him, you are pointing to the reality that there are only two ways to live and that everyone must decide which one to choose. Every time you behave and exhibit the characteristics that represent Jesus Christ, you confront others with the fundamental decision everyone must make. Will I live God’s way or my way? As you prepare for today’s game, please be a realist. God has given you sporting talent and the resulting relationships at your club or within your team. When teammates or coaches see any of these divine characteristics in you today, they will catch a glimpse of the God who made them and require that they are humbled before him. For some, this will be attractive. For many, this will be uncomfortable. All you can do is play to the best of your ability, give everything you have for the team, and trust that whether people are attracted or repelled by your faith, they cannot avoid seeing God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” ## Pray for yourself Dear Lord, Thank you for Jesus’ honesty here around being persecuted. Help those in my sport to see you at work in me today and help me to respond rightly if that leads to criticism or to questions. Help me to point to you in all I say and do today. Give me the strength to play to all of my ability today and represent you in my sport. I need your help to do that! I pray that many with whom I play or train will see you, Lord, in how I compete. 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.