07 27 07 Love of the Game
“If you love me, show it by doing what I've told you.”
(John 14:15 the Message)

I remember when I was young; 10-11-12 years old? I would wake up itching to get to the playground, the basketball court, the ball field. I would play all morning, run home to eat if I remembered to do so, and play until the street lights came on, because it was too dark to see the ball or the rim! I played because I loved to play! I played against kids 3-4 years older than I was, trying to be as good as they were. I want to remember those days: the challenges, the kids, the players, the balls and gloves and bats from every sport, the sweat, the sunburn, and my parents asking me when I was coming inside. When I would fall asleep at night, it would be with the hopes and plans of playing again tomorrow! Something about that seems true and pure – the kind of thing that will keep sports alive, the kind of thing that kept me busy and out-of-trouble as a youth as well. The love of the game pushed me to succeed, not a paycheck and not promises of later rewards, but getting better each day.
Something about this also seems right about our relationship with God. I have learned so much about my relationship with the Lord and the Body of believers through sports analogies: Teamwork, responsibility to others, sacrifice, commitment, late nights and early mornings, sweat and toil, rejection, growth, mentoring, and yes, failure and restoration.
I know what it’s like for one man to win the game single-handedly and for one man to lose it all for the team. I’ve seen a team of has-beens beat the superstars and I’ve seen the one never selected, rejected by the crowd, turn out to be the hero in the end. When you serve God, you carry your own stuff at times, much like the bullpen crew walking out prior to a baseball game. We carry our tools on our back, along with some of the baggage of life. In some sports, like in our Christian walk, we need a caddy, a buddy to walk alongside our journey and carry the load for us. Many times we’re at the foul line all alone; game tied, no time on the clock and it’s just us with a decision to make. Air ball, brick, or swish; our action decides the outcome. Have we put in the practice? The crowd is watching. Others are depending upon us. DADDY is watching closely, ready to applaud. Good thing is, as much as we brick the shot (miss the mark) He still loves us. It’s not always so in life is it? Are we're in it for the love of the game? But wait; this game is life. It's the real thing.
We love the sport, the hobby, or the activity so much we put every ounce of energy into it. Why not so with our relationship with Christ? What value is there in a 1st Place trophy after years of rust and dust? Who remembers the shot, or the hit, or even the strikeout? We remember the relationships. It’s all about relationships! How is our relationship with Christ? Does He have priority? Do we go to sleep speaking with Him, planning our next day to serve Him, dream about Him, and wake up energized to be with Him all day long? Are we still living and loving the game of life, or are we living for THE LOVE OF CHRIST? If we love Him as much as we say, we’ll obey His words, just as we obeyed our thirst for sports in our early days (and even for some in our latter days!).