How to Be a Happy Sportsperson: Game DaySample

The demand for strength, not weakness, is a sporting mantra you have heard a thousand times. Further, if you are an experienced sportsperson, you know it’s true. You must not show any physical or psychological weakness in today's sport. If you do, it will give your opponents an advantage. Give the impression that you are invulnerable. Be assertive if you want to win.

It appears that Jesus is saying something that will seriously restrict the prospect of sporting success. How can a seriously competitive person adopt the claim that "blessed are the meek"?

The key to resolving this dilemma is understanding that meekness does not mean weakness.

Instead, meekness is an essential spiritual characteristic. It is a characteristic that follows from being “poor in spirit” and “mournful.” Meekness is the third character trait that results from the awareness of your desperate situation before a holy God.

Meekness is the capacity not to be offended when someone points out your flaws. You have grown humble and sad about your failures and are amazed that God can love you despite your problems. You are not surprised when others identify things that are wrong with you. Rather than becoming instinctively defensive, you can reflect on the criticism.

Therefore, Jesus says that the meek will be happy because they “will inherit the earth”. When God’s Spirit comes to live in you, his primary task is to make you more like Jesus. A meek person can grow in their resilience by becoming less sensitive to criticism from colleagues, opponents, teammates, supporters and social media. Further, a day is coming when Jesus will return to renew and rule this world fully, and the meek will reign with him.

So, as you get your brain in gear for today’s sport, begin by thinking very clearly about the joys of meekness. Align your emotions with your thought process. Whatever people say about you today, however unpleasant the criticisms you may face because of your performance, remember the wonder of being meek. Ask God to remind you that he loves you regardless of your successes or failures when facing praise or criticism from others.

You belong to God's kingdom; his love for you will be unaltered by anything that happens today, and he will love you in the same way for eternity in his kingdom.

Pray for yourself

Dear Lord, I recognise I am a sinner saved only by the gracious work of the Lord Jesus. Help me to live in light of that as someone who is not offended when my flaws are understandably pointed out. Thank you that, through your Spirit, you are working in my life to make me more like Jesus – help me to recognise that process at work. I thank you for loving me regardless of what happens in my sport today – help me remember that today during my sport. Thank you for the beautiful promise of reigning with you in your eternal kingdom! 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.