Over the weekend I was playing tackle football (as opposed to touch or flag) with some long-time friends of mine. This is something we have done consistently for six or seven years during holiday breaks. We have always enjoyed getting together and just having fun.
This time some of our friends brought some new guys back with them from the Christian college they attend. It was good meeting these new brothers in Christ and enjoying a good game of football, until a situation came up. One of the new guys received a short pass where a guy on my team knocked him down fairly hard. He was not hurt physically at all, but he quickly got up and angrily punted the ball away from everyone as far as he could. The tackle was not dirty at all, the guy was just angry about being hit hard. I am a very competitive person on the inside, and I understand that this was more of a shot to his pride than anything else, but there was no excuse for his angry reaction.
This really got me thinking about how we react in certain situations. Whether it is on the football field, at school, at work, or nearly any other place, are we reacting in a way that will bring glory to God? Good sportsmanship is about healthy competition, helping someone from the opposite team up, congratulating the opposition on a good play, and other similar aspects. I believe good sportsmanship can translate into nearly any situation. When someone else does something good, are we happy and congratulate him/her, or do we become bitter and angry of his/her accomplishment? Do we try to help people when they get knocked down physically and emotionally? There are so many different situations this can apply to.
No matter where we go in this life or what we do, we will always find competition and resistance. We must react in a way that will bring glory to God, not in anger or any wrong way (Matthew 5:22; Ephesians 4:26-27, 31-32; Colossians 3:8; etc). Let's focus on being good sports in all situations (Matthew 22:39; Luke 6:31). People watch everything we do, so let's make sure the things we do and the ways we react are always pleasing the Lord.
This time some of our friends brought some new guys back with them from the Christian college they attend. It was good meeting these new brothers in Christ and enjoying a good game of football, until a situation came up. One of the new guys received a short pass where a guy on my team knocked him down fairly hard. He was not hurt physically at all, but he quickly got up and angrily punted the ball away from everyone as far as he could. The tackle was not dirty at all, the guy was just angry about being hit hard. I am a very competitive person on the inside, and I understand that this was more of a shot to his pride than anything else, but there was no excuse for his angry reaction.
This really got me thinking about how we react in certain situations. Whether it is on the football field, at school, at work, or nearly any other place, are we reacting in a way that will bring glory to God? Good sportsmanship is about healthy competition, helping someone from the opposite team up, congratulating the opposition on a good play, and other similar aspects. I believe good sportsmanship can translate into nearly any situation. When someone else does something good, are we happy and congratulate him/her, or do we become bitter and angry of his/her accomplishment? Do we try to help people when they get knocked down physically and emotionally? There are so many different situations this can apply to.
No matter where we go in this life or what we do, we will always find competition and resistance. We must react in a way that will bring glory to God, not in anger or any wrong way (Matthew 5:22; Ephesians 4:26-27, 31-32; Colossians 3:8; etc). Let's focus on being good sports in all situations (Matthew 22:39; Luke 6:31). People watch everything we do, so let's make sure the things we do and the ways we react are always pleasing the Lord.
--Brett Petrillo
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