“Knowing Christ is the best thing that has ever happened to me, although winning the US Open was a pretty good second.”
Live as chosen
Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12Last week we noted with amazement the fact that we have been chosen by God and loved by God. However that was only the first half of the sentence! Paul goes on to say something like, ‘So if you have been chosen by God, it needs to affect the way you live’. And he goes on to explain the ways in which you should be different. Paul suggests five characteristics that should be evident in our lives.Live as chosen people Live as chosen people,
Therefore as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Colossians 3:12 Last week we noted with amazement the fact that we have been chosen by God and loved by God. However that was only the first half of the sentence! Paul goes on to say something like, ‘So if you have been chosen by God, it needs to affect the way you live’. And he goes on to explain the ways in which you should be different. Paul suggests five characteristics that should be evident in our lives.
Compassion – This may be a difficult concept to apply to sport. Having compassion on our opponent may not be the first word to come into our head. But it can be helpful to remember that the original meaning of competition is ‘strive together’ which reminds us the competitors are not enemies.
Kindness – Of course we want to be in the team and we want to win but that should not stop us being kind to those we interact with.
Humility – This can be hard in sport too. Unless you believe you are the best and can win, no one else will! That is OK. I would suggest that humility manifests itself in being gracious in defeat and humble in victory. The legendary rugby player, Bill McBride used to say “It matters a great deal who is going to win but much less who has won”.
Gentleness – Some sports require aggression and power but we may need to leave the on field persona there and not bring it into everyday life. We can also seek to cultivate a gentleness in how we approach the officials.
Patience – Sport is good at teaching us patience through injury, defeat and disappointment but let us see these as learning experiences, not just as moments of frustration.