Faith, Sports, and a Blacksmith

As we sat in the Irish pub talking and reflecting on life, faith, and of course sports, seeing that we went out specifically to watch the Big 12 Championship game, my good friend asked as I ordered a Blacksmith (pint of Guiness topped with Smithwicks): "How much do you think God cares about sports?" And a follow-up question of: "How do you redeem the time as a fan?"

This has always been a point of thoughtfulness for me because I am a huge fan of sports. I played them growing up and continue to play them now and I am usually always drawn to sports on TV even if I don't have an invested interest in either team. Because of this, I am thankful that Rachel and I don't have cable because I would be hardpressed to keep myself away from the TV with all the college football, college basketball, NFL, and NBA games that are on. Is this right? Am I too much of a sports guy that I can't sit in the living room on a Sunday afternoon and not have the TV on Fox or CBS? Nothing illustrates this craziness over sports more than on Thanksgiving where instead of time spent with family and friends enjoying the blessings of life together in community and relationship, many people have as a sidedish the Thanksgiving day football games on, and now there's even one thrown in at night (though you do need to have the NFL Network for that one). But in many many ways, sports brings us together right? I mean, I was out Saturday night with my friend building relationship and community as we were watching a sports game. There's nothing like sharing experiences of fandom with others as you watch sports. Celebrating with the guy next to you a victory or sharing in the pain of defeat, it is nice to come together with a shared purpose. But can that carried away? Are we, am I too prone to let sports get in the way of: my relationship with my wife, my community with others, and even my relationship with Christ?

Getting back to the original question of whether God cares about sports? Certainly there are many ways in which God can be glorified and magnified via the avenue of sports and athletes. And this is what I believe God cares about. He is zealous for His glory and if sports bring Him glory in some way then yes I think that He cares about that. But on the flip side, as a fan, if I am more focused on the outcomes of "my" teams than I am about building and cultivating faithfulness in relationships and fruitfulness in the Gospel, then I don't think that God can be very pleased with that.

In my life, sports and being a fan of them is a struggle that I wrestle with on a weekly basis. I think there are many redeemable qualities to sports and being a fan of them but too often I get challenged with the reality of just how much time I spend following and watching games that I have no invested interest in.

As the Christmas season approaches and I focus my thoughts on Immanuel, God with us, I desire to turn my attention towards others and not to get too bogged down with who won the Holiday Bowls.