Written by: Bob Schindler
When you think of Christianity and sports, which of these two words come to mind?
Historically, as in many other areas, injection is actually our practice. We inject some Christianity into our sports. We do this by:
Praying before and after our games about things that have nothing to do with sports
Saying the Lord’s prayer before and after games with no thought as to how it applies to our sports
Putting bible verses on the walls of our gyms that either don’t apply to sports, rec, or fitness or are used out of context to try to make them fit
Sharing devotionals with players and parents that have nothing to do with sports, rec, or fitness
Sharing sports stories when applying a Scriptural passage that really don’t connect
Sharing with participants from one’s devotional life before or after a sports, rec, and fitness event that has nothing to do with that event
This injection leads our players, coaches, and spectators wondering if sports, rec, and fitness and Christianity really connect and adds to the already very prevalent compartmentalization of our lives and Christianity. God has in mind the integration of sports, rec, and fitness and Christianity rather than the injection. He wants this integration to involve not just sports, rec, and fitness but every area of our lives.
In fact, we might say sanctification, the process of transformation God is authoring in his sons and daughters, is the progressive integration of different aspects of our lives into the gospel. Consider how you are doing at this integration in your ministry?