Be The Best Sportsman

This year’s camp with the theme “Be the best you can be” (with the specific focus on the: Physical, Emotional, Mental, Social, Occupational and Spiritual aspects) benefited not only the campers to learn but also among those serving staff. One of the activities that campers can best apply and learn these practical lessons was through the various sports activities which we had during camp, like: Basketball, Inline Skating, Softball and Soccer.

While playing any sport can be fun, enjoyable, exciting and can also benefit in most aspects of our life (physical, emotional, mental, social and occupational), let us not neglect its value in terms of the spiritual lessons which we can derive from it. We can see many scriptures in the Bible which can point us to the lessons we can learn in playing any sport. In his first letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul calls attention to the vigorous training of the athlete. The Christian is challenged to follow the example of the athlete and to strive for the crown which lasts: “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (1 Corinthians 9:24–27 NIV)

Here the apostle Paul, using an analogy from the games, contrasts the discipline accepted by athletes competing for an earthly prize with that of Christian effort to pursue the demands made on those who seek the highest of all callings. He urges Christians to persevere in order to gain their reward in God’s Kingdom, comparing this to the athlete’s training to gain a prize in the games. This alone can already give us an idea on how we can use lessons from sports which we can all apply to our own spiritual life.

In the letter to the Hebrews, an athlete‘s preparation for a race is compared to the Christian life: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV)

If the apostle Paul competed in the games, he would have wanted to win; “as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing” (Philippians 2:16).  He would not have been there just to make up the numbers. He had no desire for accepting second best. He would have trained hard. He would have been familiar with the rules in order not to be disqualified. “Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules” (2 Timothy 2:5). He would have been much focused. His mental toughness and determination would have made him a formidable opponent.

These lessons and will teach us that we should in ourselves strive to be a good sportsman in a spiritual sense.  We should make sure that as we play this game of life, and our own race towards God’s Kingdom that we are equipped enough to endure, survive, and win against all odds. “Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling
and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:10-11).  As in sports, we must learn to be the best we can be in anything we do in life.