When I first started playing football, I wanted to destroy my opponents. I remembered hearing the story of David and Goliath in church and took that as my charge: the other team was Goliath, and I was David, tasked with bringing victory to my team.
But I realized this wasn’t true. The Goliath I wanted to defeat was not my opponent. In fact, my hope was that my opponent would come to know Jesus in the same way I did.
Belonging to Jesus’ Kingdom means we live by a higher set of values.
Of course, every athlete wants to play their best and to win. But for me, the team on the other side of the field was not the enemy. The opponent was someone who was going to help me improve.
While most of the time the world of sports frames opponents as enemies, seeing them as an opportunity to challenge me and help me grow actually brought me freedom and confidence, knowing that if I won, I could be happy, and if I lost, I had learned something. If there was a believer on the other team, we were brothers, and together, we could celebrate something that was much bigger than football.
True victory is not determined by the scoreboard but found in how well we love.
When we love well, we glorify God. We make the people around us better. Our influence expands beyond the field and into eternity. Performing well pleases the crowd; loving well pleases our Father in heaven. As those who belong to Christ, we do not despise our enemies, but lead with love, seeking that they too may come to know the Jesus we know.
Challenge
How are you viewing your opponent on the pitch? As your personal Goliath or as someone loved by God?
Who are you seeking to please? Your coach, the crowd, or the King?
What is one way you can show an opponent the love of God?
Prayer
Father, help us to view our opponents through the lens of your love. As we compete to honor You, help us to keep our eyes fixed on where true victory lies, not in the outcome, but in how we carry ourselves and love those around us. We ask that you would use us as an example to point others to You so that they may come to know Jesus too. In Your name we pray, Amen.
← Belonging to the Right Team | Playing with Confidence: Unashamed →