Guest post by Tommy Lunceford
Unity-a word that seems to be as far removed from the world of competition as the difference between the colors of black and white! I know that there are some people who remember that the Olympic slogan was to “bring the world together.” That could possibly have been true at one time but times have changed. Competition has come out of the closet and raised its ugly head.
If competition has created a different environment around sporting events, how are we as Sports Outreach Leaders handling the climate of change?
Having been around sports for a long time, I have noticed several things I would call characteristics of competition. These characteristics are things that I see at every sporting event.
1. Yelling– there is a good and bad yelling (at least some people call it “good” yelling). Coaches yell to get the players to follow instructions, parents yell to correct their child, and fans yell to try to get the officials to make calls in their team’s favor.
2. Complaining– it seems that everyone complains. Players complain about their playing time, coaches complain about the officiating, and parents complain to coaches and officials.
3. Stretching the rules– it seems that players get in the habit of doing as much as they can get “away” with. And at times coaches seem to do the same!
All these characteristics seems to become evident at each and every competitive event. Does this develop unity? I think the obvious answer is “no.”
If we as Christians would read and apply Ephesians 4:1-3 it would revolutionize the way we behave while competing. Please read this passage. And as you do you will notice there are four descriptive statements about believers. They are:
- Humility- recognizing our position before God.
- Gentleness- mildness of manner or disposition.
- Patience- tolerance while being violated/offended.
- Tolerance- accepting mistreatment.
In this passage Paul pleads with the followers of Christ. He says please, please walk in a manner worthy of your calling. He says be humble as to not think of yourself as more important than others. He says to be gentle with others so that you will not run over others. He says to be patient so that you will tolerate others when they are upset and say things they don’t mean to. He says to tolerate others when they mistreat you and continue to mistreat you.
And Paul says the end result of following those four instructions will be UNITY. If our society needs one thing….if our churches need one thing it is for us (as believers) to be more loving AND TO SHOW IT!
Unity- the result of living a GODLY life!
[Image courtesy of frerieke]
