Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. We say people are proud of being rich, or clever, or good-looking, but they are not. They are proud of being richer, or cleverer, or better-looking than others. —C.S. Lewis
What I didn’t perceive then was my own passion to be admired. Swimming was merely my stage, my opportunity to impress others with my athleticism. Each event was a platform for drawing attention to myself. And it was no different in the other sports I played (and I liked better): baseball, basketball, football. Now, as I reflect on those years, I see more clearly what was in my heart as a young man. I can see how proud I was. –C.J. Mahaney
In perhaps a greater way than any other in life, sports provides a way for us to become “proud.” We lost our significance and glory in the garden and we’ve been on a journey since then to reclaim it and in the process, we often choose to reclaim it through idolatrous ways such as sports.
How much have you thought about this in the way your pursue sports? Do you play sports for the glory of God or for the glory of yourself? Pursuing the glory of God through sports goes far deeper than a prayer before a game and your behavior during the game–it goes all the way into your heart.
What’s in your heart as you play, coach, and watch sports?
If you would like to move more toward getting rid of this pride and playing for the glory of God, see the video below from a webinar we did on How to play for the glory of God.
Webinar: How to Play Sports for the Glory of God from Church Sports Outreach on Vimeo.
