As you watch players and coaches celebrate after winning a national championship, for a moment, it does seem like they have gained the whole world. According to those who win national championships, words can’t explain what a thrill it is to be the best in your sport. I just wonder how many coaches and players are losing their souls to gain a national championship.
How do you lose your soul while winning a championship? You lose it when you have to compromise your faith for success. You lose it when you have to neglect your family for extra work to gain a victory. You lose it when you have to cheat by breaking NCAA rules to get a top recruit. You lose it when your conduct on the field is unsportsmanlike.
In Matthew 6:24 Jesus said, “"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”
When victories and money takes precedent over the glory of God in sports, they will become the master to be served. Victories on the field and money might give their recipient’s momentary pleasure and fame, but they will never produce eternal contentment in their human hearts. In fact, when victory becomes the master, winning championships actually becomes a curse instead of a blessing. After winning a championship, more money is given to the coach, and more expectations are placed on him/her to win another one. These modern day expectations are just not realistic, and detrimental to both the coaches and players they effect. The recent revelations of Coach Urban Meyer and his health concerns are our latest examples.
I hope and pray Coach Meyer’s health is okay, and I hope and pray that young football athletes would not want to emulate the behavior of the Miami Hurricanes football team portrayed in “The U”. There is a better way coaches and players can conduct themselves as they work to be excellent in their sport.
Don’t get me wrong! I wholeheartedly believe you should try your very best to win when you compete. I am just convinced there is a better Master to serve while laboring to be a champion. His name is Jesus, and everything we do in life (yes, even coaching and playing football) should be done for His glory. This is the only attitude that will produce a supernatural peace and joy in the human heart, and this is the only approach that will earn a trophy that lasts forever.
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