Springtime brings an emergence of outdoor sports and with it – mania. Meals on the run. Insane amounts of games on the weekend. Lots of laundry which needs to be done quickly. Waterbottles. Sunblock. Silly after game snacks that I never would buy for my kids. But where is God in all the hubub? Especially when the sports which dominate seem to throw ripples into the rythm of good family times, meals and even Mass. Yet, most parents (myself included) love it. Because Christ is truly incarnate, my faith drives me to cherish and look forward to the spring time sports mania. We can truly find God on the field- and be thrilled that our family is in the mix of it all.
Here are a few suggestions for coming out on top at the end of the season.
- Read a few bible passages that relate to sports and talk about it with your kids. Be glad that because they compete in sports, they can understand what God is saying even better. Isaiah 40:30-31, Timothy 4:7-8, 1 Corinthians 9:24, Philippians 3:14, Colossians 3:21, Hebrews 12:1
- Take a lesson from sports on what it really means to teach someone a skill, sport and art (repetative practice, encouraging coaching, devotion, money, community, inspirational heroes). How can you emulate that in the practice of your faith?
- Talk about being on God’s team. Draw or stitch a cross on the tag of your kids’ uniforms to remind them that ultimately, it is Christ who has chosen them to play with and for Him.
- Help your child (or spouse) to dedicate every practice and game to doing her best for God.
