Sportsmanship

Spiritual Training Cycle: Foundation (wk. 13/13)

Reading: Acts 9:17-30

When young athletes step on the field, coaches are often less concerned with the outcome then they are with the process. While technique, alignment, and skill are part of that process, great coaches are shaping something even more valuable in these young athletes. We call it sportsmanship. Sportsmanship didn’t start on a soccer field or a football field, it began on a battlefield.

The term ‘sportsmanship’ has early links with warfare and the need to maintain our humanity during war. Sportsmanship in war means seeing humanity in the enemy. Success, therefore, isn’t just in winning, but also in maintaining humanity during the battle. When we acknowledge the humanity in an opponent, we can start to show them kindness. Kindness is lending our strength to someone who needs it.

Kindness sees the good in other people, even when they cannot see it themselves. Opportunities for kindness sprout up in the gym every New Year, when the fresh batch of Resolutor’s arrive. Resolved to make this year their fittest, healthiest ever, they purchase a gym membership, update their fashion fitness look, and walk in determined.

But, like all of us, these Resolutor’s are carrying some extra weight. And I don’t just mean pounds around the midsection. They have some old thoughts, habits, and beliefs about who they are and what they are capable of. And when they get stuck in the old beliefs, they miss the opportunity to see the good in themselves. That’s when they need some kindness.

We can remind them of the progress they have made and encourage them to push through when the going gets tough. We can bring to light their inner strength, regardless of past struggles. Sometimes the strength others need is to see themselves as God sees them. That’s sportsmanship. And it’s kindness on full display.

Kindness isn’t only for new athletes in the gym. It’s also for those who make our lives painful. We witness stories in the Bible when Jesus chose to bless those who abused and hurt Him. Jesus prayed for these people and asked God to forgive them. Jesus asks us to do the same and choose to bless our enemies with love, grace, and kindness. If Jesus can see the good in His enemies, we can too. Our faith encourages us to extend undeserved kindness and see people the way Jesus sees them.

In the early days of the Christian church, a Jewish leader named Saul was using his position to persecute, imprison, and kill followers of Jesus. Jesus eventually appeared to Saul and blinded him for three days. During this time, Jesus appeared to one of His followers named Ananias and instructed him to bless Saul by restoring his sight.

We read in Acts 9:13-15,

 “‘Lord’, Ananias answered, ‘I have heard many reports of this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.’ But the Lord said to Ananias, ‘Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel.”

Jesus is able to see through Saul’s past behavior and helps Ananias do the same. Ananias is called to see what Jesus sees. Ananias is called to bless someone who might otherwise be considered his enemy. Jesus is the conduit to showing someone kindness amidst extreme circumstances like this. Saul was literally blind to his own potential. He was blind to what Jesus was calling him to!

We continue in Acts 9:17-19,

“Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord - Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here - has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.”

Saul is able to see and regain his strength after receiving this blessing from Ananias. Saul is able to see the plans Jesus has for him and commits himself to Jesus’ purpose for his life. Ananias’ kindness sees the good in Saul the way Jesus did.

Displaying kindness to our ‘enemies’ or ‘opponents’ is often much easier said than done. If we focus only on what jersey they’re wearing, which flag they’re waving, or the overarching differences between us, we will miss seeing the good in them. When we miss seeing the good, we forget how powerful our kindness can truly be. Grace, love, and kindness are a clear route to becoming more like Jesus. Kindness is the strength we find in Jesus!

Questions for Reflection:

Can you think of a time when you missed out on an opportunity to show someone kindness?

In what ways have you witnessed undeserved kindness impact someone for the better?

Fans

Spiritual Training Cycle: Foundation (wk. 12/13)

Reading: Colossians 3:1-14

Our gym doesn’t have air conditioning. Every summer, I’m reminded how important a fan can be. When it’s 90 degrees and 90% humidity, working out in front of a fan makes a huge difference in how well you perform. The same goes for the other types of fans, those people who cheer you on and are on your side. Having a real fan, a real supporter, will change your life. We all need that person who will celebrate our victories and be there in our defeats. It is more than cheering; it is companionship in the highs and lows of life.

One of my earliest fans in CrossFit was a guy named Nathan. Nathan wasn’t the best athlete by any stretch of the imagination. Despite a few years of CrossFit, he scaled most workouts, lifted less than I did, and, by all accounts, was still scrawny. But he cared about me and my progress. He congratulated me after every WOD. He patiently worked with me to learn to kip and do double-unders.

I’ve had other fans, too. I remember Bob taking me to lunch to celebrate my first sermon. And sitting with me after my first failure. Or John standing up to misguided leadership to defend me when I wasn’t there. Or Jessica telling everyone what a superstar I was after just one month on the job. I’m sure you have a list of people like this in your own life.

Then there was Erin. He was also my fan. But in a different way. While he cheered and supported me, he also challenged me. I remember him sitting across the table from me in college, uttering these bone-chilling words, “You can’t impress me.” His words cut right through me. I had grown arrogant and cocky. My attitude was causing major problems for me and the ministry I was leading. Erin took the brave step to challenge me because he was my fan. He wanted what was best for me.

I was devastated. Erin was a good fan. 

Kindness is lending your strength to another. Perhaps one of the most powerful ways we can do that is by being a fan and a supporter of others. To show up and share our voice to cheer on others and be there when the score isn’t what they had hoped. It’s a hard thing to be someone else's fan. It requires a lot of strength and a lot less of your own ego.

But being a fan isn’t just thinking that everything someone does is great. It is wanting what is best for them – even if this means losing.

That is why I love college football. It requires character. For most players, what makes or breaks them is not their athletic ability but their character. Good coaches know this. No amount of running, squatting, or pass drills can make up for poor character. Only hard work, disappointment, and perseverance can create the character to help them succeed.

Kindness is wanting what is best for someone, even if it means losing; even when it is not what they want. Being a good fan isn’t just wanting them to win – it’s wanting what’s best for them. It’s wanting them to grow in character.

Questions for Reflection:

Who has wanted what is best for you when you just wanted what was easiest?

How does your ego get in the way of cheering for others?

How has God used defeat to forge your character?

Position

Spiritual Training Cycle: Foundation (wk. 11/13)

Reading: Micah 6:1-8

I have a friend who recently went through a difficult loss. When I found out the news, I was devastated for him – he had lost one of his parents. Having been through the loss of both my mom and my dad, I had some understanding of how he must have been feeling. When I got over to his house, the two of us stood there quietly as the silence was all the noise we needed in the moment. A kind word, a short prayer, and a hug later, I was back in my car on the way home. It was easy to see in our time together that my friend wasn’t in a good position.

Position matters. It certainly matters in the gym. Because if your position is off, problems are not far behind. And sometimes all it takes is a subtle change in position, especially when it comes to the mental side of fitness, where confidence is king, but arrogance is dangerous. Yet as a coach, you can’t always distinguish between the two. What looks to be confidence can just as easily be arrogance. That’s why the coach/athlete relationship is so crucial. As you come to know someone, you learn how to identify their confident position.

And knowing what a healthy position looks like creates the benchmark to identify an unhealthy position. Like my friend who lost a parent, even though he looked the same, his head space wasn’t good. And no amount of effort on my part was going to change that. Healthy position is essential to healthy purpose in life – both physically and spiritually.

The same is true with the spiritual skill of kindness. Kindness is lending our strength to someone who needs it. And kindness has a position. It’s a combination of humility, mercy, and justice. When you show genuine kindness to someone, there’s no expectation of anything in return. The strength they need is being provided by you in the form of a no-interest loan. Whether that’s helping someone cross the street or listening to a co-worker’s problems or standing in silence during a friend’s difficult moment, your position matters.

Because kindness has an impostor – it’s called niceness. Actually, it’s more commonly known as being nice, but I had the whole “-ness” suffix thing going so I ran with it. Being nice and being kind are not the same. They’re not even close. It takes a marginal amount of effort to be nice. You can keep it high level when you’re nice. You can even dot someone right in the eye while being nice. In the South, they have a phrase for it – “Bless your heart.”

I’ve heard some Southern ladies dress up an insult or two with a, “bless your heart.” And while I’m not saying bless your heart is bad or that there isn’t a time and a place to be nice, I believe God is calling us to more. He’s calling us to the healthier position of kindness for the purpose of helping more people feel His love. Micah 6:8 says:

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.    And what does the Lord require of you?To act justly and to love mercy    and to walk humbly with your God.

And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. This is the position of kindness.

Questions for Reflection:

How does kindness operate in your life?

Do you think there’s a difference between being kind and being nice? If so, what is it?