Battling Pride In Sports

James 4 (ESV)

"Whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you."

In sports we are in constant competition against one another. Whether that be against an opposing team or fighting for a spot in the lineup. Competition has been ingrained into our everyday thoughts and actions. With this constant environment of competition comes a real enemy. That enemy is pride. Sports can often create the perfect breeding ground for pride. Once we begin to win and become successful often the first place we look is to elevate ourselves. Especially in our American culture, sports are often elevated to a god like status. The real battle in sports is not one against a batter, pitcher or our opponent. Instead, the battle is one against ourselves.

As seen in James 4, the author quotes from the Proverbs when he says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” In this stage of life this passage has constantly been going through my head. When I think back over my career and reflect upon the ups and downs I constantly think back that verse. So many times as an athlete and now as a coach I see young talented players get caught up in the short moments of success. These successful moments are only to be overshadowed by brutally failing or making a fool of themselves in front of their teammates. I can often think of a few times I let pride get the best of me during my career. I personally can reflect back over my college career. It was a constant battle over being wrapped up in my personal performance versus valuing my teammates above myself. Too many times was I angry with the outcome of a game or the fact that I may have sat the bench during a series. At the end of the day if it isn’t about the team, it is solely about yourself.

1 Corinthians 1:27-31

"But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

God’s word can give us a specific structure and perspective in the world of sports. 1 Corinthians 1:27:31, comments on the fact that God uses the weak to shame the strong. This is an interesting concept in the world of sports. Often times we place all of our focus on the people at the top of our game. We aim to be the best team, the best player, or the best coach. We often look up to the super athletes who have everything made for them. These guys are at the top of their sport and at the top of everyone's mind. Relating it to the verse these people are the strong in the world’s eyes. The question I want to ask is “Where do we place our focus as athletes?” Is it on performance and winning or is it on things of eternal significance such as investing in our teammates or players. This is why God states the weak will shame the strong.

I think often back to a teammate I had while playing in college. This teammates was not the best player on the team nor was he even relevant in the eyes of college sports. This guy came in as one of Liberty’s top recruits, but later had an injury which sidelined him for the rest of his career. Rather than moping around he took this unfortunate turn of events as a motivation to reach his lost teammates. He leveraged his time riding the bench for the gospel. This is exactly what I think of when I think of the weak shaming the proud. God can use the unfortunate events, the season ending injuries, the poor performances, and huge losses for his Glory. Often how we handle ourselves in the rough times can be the biggest display of God’s grace. Ultimately our goal in life should be to share the love and sacrifice which was made on the cross. Jesus was the ultimate display of humility. He willingly gave his life for us, despite doing no wrong. By placing our trust in him we can receive salvation from all the wrongs we have done. As athletes we must look to Christ and rid ourselves of the pride which so easily gets the best of us.

10/29/2018

Michael Stafford