The Sporting Life: What Our Kids Have Learned From Sports

My children love sports. My son lives and breathes sports. At five-years-old, he has been involved in soccer, hockey, and baseball. He wants to play football. He also has had swimming lessons and gymnastics lessons. My three-year-old daughter is taking a gymnastics class and a ballet class. She says she wants to play hockey when she is old enough. Although we have not forced our children into sports, when they have shown an interest, we have encouraged their participation. And our children are learning some great lessons through sports. Here are some lessons we all have learned from the sporting life.

Discipline Sports require discipline. I watch my daughter do the same ballet routine weekly. My son runs the same skating drills in hockey. Success in the sport comes from discipline and  practicing the routine. The great sports professionals became great through discipline. What a great lesson to learn. Likewise, in our Christian walk, we are told to be disciplined. In 1 Timothy 4:7, we read, “Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.”

Perseverance In addition to discipline, my children are learning to persevere. Those skating drills make my son a better skater if he doesn’t give up. My daughter gains strength and agility as she practices skills over and over on a balance beam. And there are times when they fall, or get scored against. How they respond after these times is important. Will they get back up and get back in the game. That’s perseverance. The Christian walk is also one of persevering. In James 1:12 we read, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised for those who love him.”

Patience Along with perseverance, my children are learning patience. They are learning to be patient with their limited abilities. They also are learning to be patient with others. I am surprised how often my son or daughter, who both exhibit impatience with many things, will patiently wait for their turn to practice a routine. They may not have patience to wait for a desired toy, but they will not balk about waiting for a coach to instruct a teammate before addressing them. And similar to perseverance, I watch my children practice skills imperfectly now, knowing that they will develop these skills in time, with patience. The Christian walk calls for us to be patient with others, as Christ has been patient with us. In Colossians 3:12-13 we read, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another ...” In 1 Timothy 1:16 we read, “I received mercy for this reason, that in me … Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.”

Unity A team is successful if it is united. How often have we seen professional sport teams that do not have the most talented players win a championship because they were united? Our children are learning that one of the most important aspects of sportsmanship is supporting other team members. I was thrilled this past week to see my son, who is one of the more skilled players on his Tee-Ball team, cheer on and encourage some of the other players as they practiced batting and running. He may not always get along with all of his teammates, but I loved that he was encouraging them at the right time. In the Christian walk, we are instructed to be united under the Spirit. In Ephesians 4:1-3 we read, “I, therefore, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

            So while my children show interest in sports, we’ll allow them to participate. These times also give us the opportunity to speak some truths of Scripture into our children’s lives. It is fun to watch them grow in athletic ability and in the spiritual journey. Now, I need to go and register my son for Tiny Mite Football.

For more Faith of This Father, you can like the Faith of This Father page on Facebook or follow on Twitter @faithotfather. Or email me at faithofthisfather@yahoo.com.

God's Purposes in Little Hearts

Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations. – Jeremiah 1:5

            I often forget that my children have been created by God with a plan for their lives. It sometimes seems difficult to know that they were created for eternity. I see their current state; their temper tantrums, or their whining over silly things. At these times, it is difficult for me to see them as God sees them.

            Throughout the Bible, we see that God uses a child to bring about his great plan. Isaac is the promised child given to Abraham and Sarah. Moses is the child who delivered from death, will grow up to lead God’s chosen people out of slavery in Egypt. Samuel is the answer to Hannah’s prayer for a child. Hannah gives her son to the Lord’s service. God speak to a young Samuel, giving him a prophecy and position as God’s priests. A young David is anointed the future king of Israel by Samuel. Jeremiah, and the other prophets, is born with a future mission to be God’s spokesperson. John is born to an elderly Elizabeth and Zechariah, and an angel promises that this child will be the promised Elijah, the forerunner of the Messiah. Jesus, born in humble circumstances, is the promised Messiah who brings salvation to the saints.

            I read these true stories, and I marvel at how God used these children for great things. But, I somehow forget that God is forming my own children with a purpose. Even now, the words I say to my children may be remembered for the rest of their lives. Even now, their minds are being formed by God, and the things I do and say have an influence on their future. I can remember things my parents said in my childhood that still affect me today. Yet, I can be careless with my words. I can react is anger or frustration, rather than calmly assessing a situation before responding. I am quicker to say, “Stop your whining” rather than “What is making you upset?”

            God told Jeremiah that before he was formed in the womb, that He had a purpose for Jeremiah’s life. I am sure the same is true for my children. God already knows what they will do in life. He knows if they will be obedient or disobedient to Him. He knows their influence on other people and other generations. He knows if my child will be an auto mechanic, or a ballerina, or a school teacher, or a banker. He knows how they will be used to advance the kingdom of God. And I am amazed that he has chosen me to help form these lives. Why me? How will my parenting be a positive or a negative influence on their development? What a responsibility. 

For more Faith of This Father, you can like the Faith of This Father page on Facebook or follow on Twitter @faithotfather. Or email me at faithofthisfather@yahoo.com.

Getting Away from It All with My Baby

Recently, my wife and I got a night away from the kids. A babysitter spent the night with our children as we went to a hotel for some rest and relaxation. We didn’t do anything exciting. We went out to dinner and ice cream and then spent the night watching some television at the hotel room. But it offered us the opportunity to get away and listen to each other. I was able to tell my wife about some professional things with which I was struggling. It was a time for us to reconnect with each other. We try to get away two or three times a year to reconnect and reaffirm our commitment to each other. Sometimes, we travel and visit other cities. Sometimes, like this most recent time, we are not too far from home.

The daily ebb and flow of life makes it essential for us to get away from it all. If you are like us, there is so much going on in your daily and weekly routine, that it becomes easy for your marriage to take a back seat to the routine. We have places to be, doctors appointments to get to, work tasks to complete, school lunches to make, vehicle maintenance to schedule, and bills to pay. In the craziness of life, it becomes easy to take the marriage for granted. Our times away afford us the opportunity to put focus back on our marriage.

There are times when we plan a getaway with the intention of forecasting and planning for the future. On one getaway, we planned some one-year and five-year goals for our family. Another time, we spent time intentionally holding hands and asking each other questions and listening to the answers given. And we are still dreaming of the blow-your-bank-account getaway when we travel to another city and indulge in the finest hotel rooms, eat at the priciest restaurants, and enjoy the greatest entertainment the city has to offer. We have discussed child-rearing, education, finances, and dreams during these getaways.

Most importantly, in our times away we are able to reset our marriage. Our time away always reaffirms the complete trust I have in my wife. It is a great time to enjoy time with my best friend. Sometimes, we have to be serious in discussing how we are neglecting each other or how we do not spend enough time in our “normal” lives making each other feel valued.

Our times away do not have to be costly. Sometimes, grandma watches the kids. We might eat on the cheap. Sometimes, we have gone to the grocery store and prepared most of our meals for little money. We can walk around a city and take in its ambiance without spending a dime. But, even if the getaway is pricier, it is worth every penny to reconnect.

Our retreats also are times when we can disconnect from the technological world. There are times when we don’t take computers, or check email or Facebook. What I have found is that we can fill our time with many time-wasting contraptions which isolate us from relationship. Not having the buzz of a computer or the distraction of a tablet can go a long way in helping us to reconnect to our relationship. Also, by extension, I have found that my relationship with my children is better after a retreat, because it becomes easier to put away those time-wasting tech toys.

The best part about our retreats is that I learn new things about my wife. Or, I re-learn her strengths as a person. I fall in love with her all over again. Our bond becomes stronger with each outing. I value her courage, her commitments, her ethics, and her faithfulness to her friends and her family in deeper ways. We will return to the real world. We will return to the routine, and we will get lost again in the routine. We will even disagree and fight again. But, when those times come, I have a reservoir of retreat memories that remind me of an amazing woman. Thank you, God. 

For more Faith of This Father, you can like the Faith of This Father page on Facebook or follow on Twitter @faithotfather. Or email me at faithofthisfather@yahoo.com.

Teaching a Child the Commands of God

“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” Deuteronomy 6:4-7

            This command is given twice in the book of Deuteronomy. The men were to teach their children the ways of God. The men were to instruct their children on God’s commands. So, I started thinking about ways that we can teach our children according to this command. Obviously, times have changed since Moses delivered these words. And, these were instructions to the Hebrew people, but I still think they are applicable to Christians today. So, here are some ways that you can teach the commands of God diligently when 1) you sit in your house; 2) when you walk by the way; 3) when you lie down; and 4) when you rise.

            When you sit in your house

-          Tell what God has been doing in your life.

-          Let your children see you reading the Bible.

-          Discuss challenges in your daily routine and how you have responded to them in God-honoring ways.

-          Play a board game with your family. Consider ways the game can be used to teach some of the commands of God. For example, if your child moves her game piece further on the board than she should, use this as an opportunity to speak about cheating.

-          Discuss what is on the television screen. Do we see reflected on the screen values that are respectful of God’s commands?

-          Memorize scripture together.

When you walk by the way

-          Consider the wonder of the world God made as you drive your children to school.

-          Talk about the different types of people you see. Let your children know that all of these people are created in the image of God.

-          Talk about ways that God wants us to be stewards of the earth and how we are to care for the things of the earth.

-          Discuss ways that you have sinned against God and against His commands. Talk about some of the consequences of that sin in your life.

-          Consider the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly. Relate this to God’s transforming power in the life of a person.

-          Speak about the community found in a colony of ants, bees, etc. Discuss how we are to live in a community in a way that brings glory to God.

When you lie down

-          Pray with your children and for your children as you put them to bed.

-          Talk about the good things God has blessed you with that day, or in your life.

-          Tell them they are safe with you and that you will always protect them and that they find ultimate safety with the Lord.

-          Let them know that you love your spouse.

-          Tell them how God made them special.

-          Tell them you love them. You cannot say it enough.

When you rise

-          Start the day with prayer.

-          Let your children know that you are living this day to bring glory to God. Ask them to try to do the same.

-          Thank God for the start of a new day, for life, and for a new set of opportunities.

-          Quote simple scripture that you have memorized.

-          Offer a blessing to your child as he leaves for school.

These suggestions are most appropriate for a younger child (I'll discuss teaching a teenager when I cross that bridge). As your children grow older, you can do other things to teach them the commands of God. For example, my children are too young to memorize the Ten Commandments, but we have talked about some of the basic concepts behind those commands. As your children get older, you can be more proactive in directing conversations, and also encouraging them to act on behalf of others (for example, ask how an older child can befriend an outsider, or stand up for a child who is oppressed by peers).

We don’t have to do big things all the time. Teaching diligently does not have to involve a systematized family devotional night. But, we should seize every opportunity we are given to draw a child’s attention toward God. This can be done through scheduled events, but some of the most effective times I have found are unscheduled times when my children ask me questions about things they have heard during their school day. What a privilege God has given us to help form and direct a child’s heart to meet with and to know personally his or her Creator. 


For more Faith of This Father, you can like the Faith of This Father page on Facebook or follow on Twitter @faithotfather. Or email me at faithofthisfather@yahoo.com.

I Choose Courage

Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Joshua 1:6-7

Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23

            Courage is a choice. As I have been reading the book of Joshua, I have seen this constant refrain to be strong and courageous. I have read the book of Joshua many times, and I have noticed before this constant refrain. But, reading the book this time, I realized that being courageous was a choice that Joshua had to make. It was not natural.

Watch a little child. He is tentative. He seeks the reassurance of mom and dad before doing something new. He is unsure whether or not to leave the security of dad’s lap to try something new. As he grows up, he will realize that going with the flow is easier than sticking his neck out into a dangerous unknown. Yet, as that child grows up, he will be told that manhood is leading a life of courageousness. And that man will have to choose courage or irrelevancy.

            As I read the Bible, I do not get the sense that Joshua is tentative or cowardly. He and Caleb are sure that the Hebrew people can capture the Promised Land while 10 other men discourage the people from the pursuit. We do not read of Joshua being hesitant before leading decisive battle after battle in the Promised Land. So why is it that we read this constant refrain of “be strong and courageous” in the story of Joshua? I don’t think it’s because God does not trust Joshua. It is rather because Joshua, like all men, needs to be reminded that he is called to courageous living, and he must choose to be courageous.

            Joshua is commanded by Moses to be courageous (Deuteronomy 31:6 and 31:23).He is commanded by God to be courageous (Joshua 1:6; 1:9, and 1:18). He commands the Hebrew people to be strong and courageous in battle and in defending their land (Joshua 10:25; 23:6).

            We also read of other times when men are called to be strong and courageous. David tells his son, Solomon, to be strong and courageous when he is commission to build the first temple (1 Chronicles 28:20). King Hezekiah tells his troops to be strong and courageous when facing the more powerful army of Assyrian King Sennacherib (2 Chronicles 32:7).  These are both instances when one would need perseverance and courage to do what was being asked.

            It may seem easy for me to tell others to be courageous from the comfort of my office. I have never fought in a war (as did Joshua, David, and Hezekiah’s men, and so many men in my family). And I have the greatest respect for those people who have faced war and battles. I know that they had to make a choice to be strong and courageous, and that was a potentially costly choice to make. While I may not be called to the same life-threatening choice of courage, the decision for me to live courageously for my God, my family, and my friends is still an important choice.

            Jesus spoke of the cost of courageous Christian living. He told people that they would have to daily choose to follow him. He uses the imagery of carrying a cross. The people in his time understood that imagery better than we do today. The cross was the most gruesome form of capital punishment administered by the Roman Empire. One who carried a cross was mocked, humiliated, and rejected. And Jesus tells his followers that they must choose to “take up this cross” daily. It comes with a cost.

A Christian must choose to be strong and courageous. There are times when you may have to be courageous with a gun pointed at your head. There are also times when you must be courageous when your job is on the line, or your family is endangered, or your good name is mocked. There will be times when you must be courageous because no one else will stand up for what is true and right. These are the times when we must be prepared to be strong and courageous. These are the times when we must be reminded of why we are to be strong and courageous. It is at these times when it would be easier to go with the flow rather than sticking your neck out into the dangerous unknown. But, God calls us to something better.

            I choose courage.  I choose to be courageous for my wife and children, for my friends, and mostly for my Lord.

For more Faith of This Father, you can like the Faith of This Father page on Facebook or follow on Twitter @faithotfather. Or email me at faithofthisfather@yahoo.com.