Gotta share something that is buggin' me. Our church is starting Upward. I am excited about it and just the number of kids who will be attending basketball camp (70 kids) shows that God is doing great things with this outreach.
Well, this friend of ours who will remain nameless, also belongs to this church and has mentioned that they will not be participating in Upward because it is not going to be competitive (just because they don't keep score). Now, I have heard this before from him and I just kinda "yeah, whatever." him but he mentioned it again to my daughter tonight and it just hit me that I am not liking this comment. At first I was fine with it, but I woke up from sleeping started sleep praying again and it came to me--this does not sit well with my heart. I knew God was prompting me to write about it.
First let me say that WE LOVE BASKETBALL in our house.
Here is my beef: I am for Upward for 2 main reasons both of which come down to opportunity. The first and most important is it gives my daughter one more chance to hear the Word of God from someone other than us and her Sunday school teacher. If this gives her one more opportunity to accept salvation, then that is the most important chance she will ever get. She can be competitive in basketball, lead her high school team to state, get a division 1 scholarship even play in the WNBA or professionally overseas but it doesn't mean anything if she spends eternity in hell! If my children do not have a heart for God, then Mo and I have failed them as parents.
Second, it gives her the opportunity for opportunity. She will have the opportunity to put the ball in her hands in a structured activity, the opportunity to play with different girls with different abilities to develop her skill for basketball and teamwork, the opportunity to practice those skills under the leadership of another adult who might be able to explain a skill better, the opportunity to cultivate a friendship with someone she has never met, the opportunity to reach out to a child who doesn't go to our church (aka a missionary on her "home court"), the opportunity to have some fun, the opportunity to learn what it means to do her best and leave it all on the court regardless of win or lose and the opportunity to sit her back-end on the bench and cheer for someone else with the understanding it is not all about me.
Trust me, I played all through high school and college. In the end, it doesn't matter. It will only leave you with bad ankles and jacked up feet.
There is plenty of time for competition. Let's talk about what time there is too little of, guiding the heart of a child to live for Christ.
What legacy are you leaving your child? A legacy that honors sports? A legacy that honors education? A legacy that honors money and material goods? or a legacy that honors Christ?
6 comments:
Over mother's day weekend I went to a ladies lunch at a friend's church with her, and the speaker was talking exactly of this! What kind of legacy are you leaving your children? It's been on my heart since then!
I really think the Upward program sounds great! I wish our church had started that when I was younger. I might have participated. It was the competitivness of the "organized score-keeping" sports that I never liked. That's why I was in marching band. You don't keep score in band! Well, you do count the number of trophies!!! :-)
Amen sister...I am amazed at people's thoughts on competition. I wonder were they think their children got the talent from in the first place. Why not use what was given by Him to glorify and honor Him!
GREAT post!!!
Amen, and amen. We are, by the way, so excited about the program! How blessed Abby is to have the opportunity to be your student once again!
Oh, and I know the picture may come as a shock, but it is explained early on in my blog if you care to take a gander -- like back in February...
Love it!! Ashlin will be at camp next week.
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