As most of you know the NFL Playoffs began this past weekend which means that millions of people not just in the United States, but all across the world tuned in to watch American football. I was one of the millions watching & hoping to see amazing games, one of which being the Pittsburgh Steelers vs Cincinnati Bengals. What I watched wasn’t sport, it wasn’t even close. What I saw in that game was nothing but zero respect for one another because the game was filled with so much hate. Players were targeting other player’s heads not to take them down like the sport dictates, but rather to get them hurt because of the pure hatred for one another. In addition, the game was played in Cincinnati and fans cheered when the Pittsburgh quaterback got hurt. As if that wasn’t humiliating enough, some fans in the stadium threw trash on him as he was carted off the field from the injury. I could go on about the dirty hits and altercations between coaches, players, and fans but that’s not why I’m writing this article. If you wanted a box score synopsis of the game, there is this wonderful thing called ESPN that does a much better job of it than I do…
I want to talk about a much bigger issue that God himself made very present to me. I could give multiple opinions about whose fault it was that started the fights, but that isn’t the issue on my heart. The issue on my heart is not just a human being issue, but also a God issue.
As I watched the childlike NFL game play out on the television which I later found out was sponsored by Fischer Price (terrible joke), I couldn’t ignore one huge thing He placed on my heart: the two experiences ministering in Haiti. As I reflected on my amazing experiences there, I began to struggle with the fact that these immature NFL players who make phone numbers for paychecks also lost their minds. They looked like children because they were unhappy and literally fought opposing players/coaches. While this game played on, my mind weighed heavy on the family in Haiti who had nothing, yet had everything because God blessed the family with a home we built for them. I thought about the little child in the polluted creek bed getting water for his family. I thought about the elderly woman begging on the streets for money so she can have something to eat for the day. I thought about the orphanage we visited and all of their smiling faces because they could have someone to call a friend for a day. I thought about the little boy Benito who was selling sea shells at the beach just so he could attend school because his parents can’t afford it.
It would be natural for me to be angry at the situation (and trust me I did at first), but that’s exactly what satan wants me to do. He wants me to get sucked into the immaturity of it all. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a diehard for my ridiculously awful sports teams and I want them to succeed so bad, but at what point do we as human beings draw the line? I believe we have crossed the line when we put sports above our relationships in life and also when we put it above our relationship in Christ. In this moment I immediately thought of Moses & the Israelites.
They have quickly turned away from what I commanded them. They have made themselves a metal statue of a god in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down and sacrificed to it. (Exodus 32:8)
Moses had led God’s people out of Egypt and out of slavery, but the Israelites didn’t give thanks to their God. Instead they created a golden calf statue and worshiped it instead. The golden calf was an idol that the Israelites believed was what saved them. Sports can also be vices/idols to a point where it engulfs our lives just as much as other unhealthy addictions. After what I saw in the Steelers vs Bengals game, I believe we’ve gone too far as a society. Nothing should ever be placed above the One who gave you and I life. He should always be given the glory and it’s not for us to hold onto. It’s up to us to spread his Kingdom through love, not hatred.
I pray that we as an American culture can take a good hard look in the mirror of who we are and what is important in life. I pray we stop using sports to create enemies, but rather use it to create thriving relationships to bring people closer to love & Jesus. This life is too short to hate people because of sports. We need to wake up to the world around us! In Greece, Syrian refugees are fleeing their homes into an unknown future. All around the world there are more slaves today than ever before in the history of the world. These are just a few of the things that occur in this world this very second. Meanwhile, we throw trash at someone who has never hurt us before and watch millionaires fight each other over a football game. It’s time to stop falling under the enemy’s rule and it’s time to dance in the freedom of the Lord!
Sports is one of the best concepts in life, but when it takes over who we are then we are missing the point of who God has called us all to be. Imagine if the millionaires in all professional sports leagues practiced sportsmanship and shared their faith & love with the world, WOAH! That means that millions of people would be exposed to the Gospel. I love my sports teams a lot and I am guilty of spending to much emotion into them, but I love my God an infinity more. The Steelers vs Bengals game allowed me to look at my life and remind me of who I’m supposed to act and be. We all have a vice(s) or idol(s) that exist in our lives, what are yours? Let’s left them up to Christ and bring them out of the darkness and into the light.
