A Christian Parent's Guide to Navigating Youth SportsSýnishorn

Love Over Self—Raising Others-Focused Athletes

Put yourself in the scene. Jesus heals a boy with an evil spirit and onlookers stand astonished at the work of God. But quickly, people begin to shift the conversation from what Jesus did to their own greatness:

"An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest. But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side and said to them, 'Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. For he who is least among you all is the one who is great.'” (Luke 9:46–48 ESV).

Let's recap what happened:

1. Jesus performs a miraculous healing, and everyone is amazed.

2. But not long after this, the disciples begin arguing about which one of them is the greatest.

In fact, on numerous occasions, Jesus listened to his disciples engage in GOAT (Greatest of All Time) conversations. No, their debate wasn’t about Jesus's greatness above anyone else who had ever lived or ever would live. It was about their own greatness in relation to one another.

Sound familiar? If you've ever listened to kids recap their youth sports highlights in the back seat after a game, you know the tone: “Did you see that shot I made?” “I probably had five assists!” “They couldn’t handle the smoke today!”

In today’s youth sports culture, the spotlight often shines brightest on those who achieve individual success. It’s why our young athletes desire to stand out and be great. Greatness means attention, affirmation, and popularity. The “my brand, my highlights, my scholarship” mentality creeps in early—and as parents, we often feed that mentality through how we talk about and promote our young athletes. In many cases, unfortunately, our kids want to achieve athletic success because they believe that is the surest pathway to receiving love from us as parents.

Lucky for us, Jesus has something to teach us about true greatness. And He does this not by shaming the disciples for their ambition, but by completely redefining greatness.

What is true greatness according to Jesus? In the same scene from the gospel of Luke, He places a child beside Him and says, in effect, “Want to be great? Then serve the least. Receive the overlooked. That’s how you receive Me."

The playbook for greatness in God’s eyes is through this type of love. It’s an unconditional, sacrificial love that seeks others’ best even at personal cost.

As parents and mentors, we have the opportunity—and responsibility—to shape how our kids understand love through their participation in sports. Are we modeling a posture centered around others? Are we praising character as much as performance? When our children look at us, do they see us celebrating “team” or just tracking their stats?

In John 13, Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35 ESV). One of the ways we model our faith within the context of youth sports is by showing love to others—and teaching our young athletes to do likewise. Love isn’t just a warm feeling. It’s a life choice, especially when it’s inconvenient. It means teaching our kids to celebrate a teammate’s success even when they’re sitting on the bench. It means encouraging them to shake the ref’s hand, thank their family for coming, or notice the teammate who’s hurting. That’s a love that trains hearts, not just muscles. That kind of love turns weekend games into gospel moments.

What if, in our collective pursuit of greatness through sports, the next season isn’t just about growth in skill, but growth in love?

Action Steps:

• This week, encourage your child to cheer for a teammate's success.
• Before bed, pray together for someone on the team who is struggling.
• Model humility by thanking the coach and the refs, regardless of the outcome.
• Have a conversation about what it means to be a great teammate.

Prayer:

Jesus, thank you for showing us what real love looks like. Help us resist the pull of self-centeredness and instead follow your example of humble, others-focused love. Shape our hearts—and our children’s hearts—to reflect you in every arena, including the field and court. May our homes and teams be places where your agape love grows and shines. Amen.