To bring glory to God as athletes, we play sports in a way that draws attention to God's greatness instead of our own (25).He rightly acknowledges that this involves much more than "Tebowing" in the endzone. For Mahaney, playing sports to the glory of God means playing sports with "humility, perseverance, self-control, diligence, and other qualities appropriate to a follower of Christ" (26). The Christian athlete must see the glory of God as the primary goal of sports, not personal or team accomplishments; not wins or losses.
So how does a Christian athlete do this? In the last section of this chapter Mahaney gives three ways: 1) playing sports with an attitude of gratitude, 2) playing sports with humility, and 3) playing sports in service to your teammates and coaches.
Playing Sports with an Attitude of Gratitude
Mahaney says that we should be thankful for several things that God provides his children through sports. Sports provides rest and refreshment, physical and mental benefits, and the joy that one finds in playing sports. For those who are fortunate enough to play professional sports there are a host of other reasons to be thankful to God.
In my two years playing minor league baseball I ran into dozens of players who became cynical and negative about their situation. Instead of focusing on the things that they should be thankful for, they wasted time and energy complaining about how unfair things were; how they were being overlooked and mistreated. While those things may be true in certain situations, the player that focuses on them has lost sight of all of the things that they should be thankful for.
Playing Sports with Humility and a Servants Heart
In the Mark 10:35-45 Jesus teaches his disciples what true greatness is in the Kingdom of God. Jesus and his disciples were headed to Jerusalem because Jesus was going to suffer and die on the cross. He explained this to the disciples on three different (8:31; 9:31; 10:32) but they still didn't get it. In this passage James and John go up to Jesus and ask if they can sit on His right and left when He sets up His kingdom in Jerusalem. When the other disciples hear this they get ticked off! Why? Because they want to sit on His right and left too!
The disciples didn't get it. They didn't realize that Jesus had to suffer and die as a ransom for our sins (10:45) before he returned in glory. The disciples were filled with selfish ambition. Sadly, so are a large majority of athletes. Their only concern is self-promotion, personal glory, money, and fame. Jesus tells the disciples that this is not how it will be in His kingdom. In His kingdom, if you want to be great then you must become a servant (10:42-43).
Greatness in the eyes of God is a life of humility and service. Serving your teammates, serving your coaches, serving your fans, serving your wife, serving your kids, serving your neighbor, serving your church. This is greatness!
Jesus is the ultimate example of greatness, and it is only through His power that we can truly humble ourselves and serve. As Mahaney says in another book of his on humility, "in true humility, our own service is always both an effect of His unique sacrifice and the evidence of it."
- Tyler Durham
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