“Whom have I in Heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” — Psalm 73:25-26
What Else Do We Have?
We are prone to count all the blessings we have on earth as important and as something we obtained for ourselves. Our desires drift toward the world. We drift into thoughts of looking at these things as ours and not God’s.
As an athlete we are given talents. These talents could be speed, strength, hand-eye coordination or a high IQ for the game we play. There is nothing wrong with using these gifts to the fullest and having fun with them. I loved being able to play baseball well and go play pick-up basketball with friends. The friendships and competition made me into the person I am today.
But there were times when the sport became an idol in my life and God humbled me greatly. Just because you have a gift, it does not make you better than another human and it does not mean that the blessing of being able to play a sport should become your No. 1 priority. Sometimes we must learn these lessons the hard way.
Sports and all of creation are beautiful expressions of God. Anything we see was created for a reason by God, and at times we take them for granted. C.S. Lewis explains how we should see created things:
“We can’t — or I can’t — hear the song of a bird simply as a sound. Its meaning or message (‘That’s a bird’) comes with it inevitably — just as one can’t see a familiar word in print as a merely visual pattern. The reading is as involuntary as the seeing. When the wind roars I don’t just hear the roar; I ‘hear the wind.’ In the same way it is possible to ‘read’ as well as to ‘have’ pleasure. Or not even ‘as well as.’ The distinction ought to become, and sometimes is, impossible; to receive it and to recognize its divine source are a single experience. This heavenly fruit is instantly redolent of the orchard where it grew. This sweet air whispers of the country from whence it blows. It is a message. We know we are being touched by a finger of that right hand at which there are pleasures for evermore. There need be no question of thanks or praise as a separate event, something done afterwards. To experience the tiny theophany (God moment) is itself to adore.”
Anything good we have is of and from God. He created everything. Enjoy what He has given us and know that each piece of our lives is a reflection of His love for us.
— Reid Carper
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