"God answers my prayers everywhere except on the golf-course."
Loving your opponent
I remember when I first came to England to play for Wigan, I used to get beaten up. I used to come home every week with a black eye, cuts to the face ands bruises to the body, done deliberately.
I cried to the Lord, "what do I do, do I retaliate?" But he said, "No, No, No", Just stay focussed and I'll handle everything. And the guys who were beating me up when I first came, they are the same guys who are able to come up and shake my hands. They now thank me for the game and say, "Well played". Va'aiga Tuigamala
Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another; Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: it is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord. Romans 12:14-19
Sport lives by comparison. We define our own level of performance by testing it against the clock or our opponent. We need that competition to develop our God given talents.
People often think of love as soft, meaning that we cannot be loving and competitive. If I love my opposite number does that not mean that I have to let her score?
If we see our opponent, not as our enemy but as our neighbour, and moreover a neighbour whom Jesus tells us to love as ourselves, it certainly affects our attitude to the opponent. We treat our opponent in the way we want to be treated: with respect. We want a fair game. We want a good contest. We want our opponent to push us to perform at our best. People often think that being loving and being competitive is an "either or" but in this setting love is to be competitive!
With that understanding perhaps the way I love my neighbour is to give him the hardest tackle my body can produce - fairly and within the rules. By doing that I force him to be the best player he can be.
Similarly I need the opponent to nail me when I get the ball and to play the most brilliant tactical game she can so that I have to take my gifts and use them to the best of my ability against her. That is to love my opponent in the heat of the competition. It is wanting the best for your opponent, in order to get the best out of myself. It is playing hard but not seeking an unfair advantage.
That's why I can love my neighbour as myself in sport, since I understand God's desire that we please Him with our abilities and that we help each other to do so.
If you cannot love your opponent as yourself, can you play sport for God's glory?