WHO WINS THE GAME?

My son is on a basketball team this year (8^th grade). I never have really been into any kind of sports other than what I may play with my kids at home. We enjoy playing baseball and soccer but it is nothing like the real games because I don’t want it to be about winning but about helping the other guy to succeed.

Last night we went to one of his games, it was the second game of the season and he has never played a real sport before. I really hesitated to even allow him to play because I know what the competitive spirit can be like and how it can be revealed.

Last night revealed to me both sides of the picture. I really appreciated my son’s coach; he definitely revealed a Christlike character. He was not yelling although he would give advice. He never got angry with his team even though they made some mistakes. My son accidentally made a score at the wrong end (they had switched which side was their side so he had gotten confused) but his coach was so gracious.

On the other hand the opposing teams coach was yelling through the whole game. He was unkind to his players that made mistakes or didn’t do what he thought they should do. He was yelling at the referees on the decisions they made. My son was feeling for some of the players on that team because of how they were being treated. The referee at one point even told him to sit down and had to finally get in his face about it. The sad part is that both schools claim to be Christian schools but just because they call themselves Christian’s doesn’t make them like Christ.

Then it made me think about myself. I am playing the game of life how am I responding to the players on my team, am I being Christ like. My husband and my children are my team players. How do I respond to them when they make mistakes? Am I “yelling” all the time? Or do I approach it with a Christ like spirit?

How about other “teams” (families), how do I approach them in their mistakes or what I think is a mistake? You know what might be a mistake for one family may not be a mistake for another family. The Lord leads all of us on different paths. He “sets the game up” for every person differently because He knows the “players” and knows what is going to help them win.

How do we get beyond looking at other “players” and approaching them in a wrong way or what about our “team players” (our family)? The one thing about the game of life is that everyone can win but the Referee (Jesus) calls the shots. How grateful I am for that.

The best way for us to overcome this difficulty is to immerse ourselves in Jesus. Immerse ourselves in His Word and in prayer. We are told to meditate upon God’s Word day and night. I think we fail to realize how important that is.

Our real opposing team should be the devil and we should not listen to him or his coaching. He wants us to think that our Referee has called the wrong shot. We need to forget about others and what they are doing or how God is working in their lives. Keep focused on growing in Christ yourself and our opinions of others and those close to us will change. We need to remember as Christians we are all on the same team, striving for heaven.

Dear Father,                                                                                          Thank You for Your patience and Your willingness to never give up on us. Help us to realize our need to stay closer to You. Help us to allow You to work in our lives as well as the lives of others as You see fit. Use us in the lives of others to draw them closer to You as we become fit to be Your servant.                                         In Jesus Name,                                                                        Amen

Let’s immerse ourselves in Jesus today and continue to do so until He comes.

Love you all.

Have you seen God work in your life as you immerse your life in Him? Share you experience.

Have you struggled at times and not feeling like a team player? Share your struggles and how the Lord brought you through. Maybe your still in the struggle and need encouragement share in the comments to receive some words of encouragement and giving others the opportunity to pray for you.