Lesson from Sunday's Match

Until high school, I never viewed soccer and anything more than a sport. I just enjoyed playing the game and getting better. However, the past few years I've been learning that the soccer field can be a place of worship, a place to glorify God with the ability He's given me. I've also had the chance to use soccer as a way to show God's love to kids on trips to Chile and the Dominican Republic and during the past two summers at On Goal. 

God has used soccer in my life over and over again to show me who He is and how I can serve Him through it. After realizing how amazing it is to see soccer in that way, I've often struggled with the competitive aspect of playing at the university level. Don't get me wrong, I'm very competitive, I love to win, and every time I step on the field, I give it my all and hope to encourage my teammates to do the same; but, I didn't think winning should be that big of a deal. I mean, if we won, awesome. If we didn't, we should work harder in practice and there's always next game.

I still don't think winning is everything, but in the game today, I realized the importance of striving for excellence. Every time we step on that field, we are representing Jesus Christ,we are ambassadors in His name. How can we share about who He is when we're competing? The obvious answer is by how we treat each other, the refs, and our opponents...by playing with integrity. But ALSO, by playing with excellence, playing to the BEST of the ability He's given us. 

In South Africa, we have the opportunity to talk and share with our opponents after the game. We have the chance to share how He's changed our lives. If we play terribly on the field, why should anyone (especially in a culture immersed in soccer as much as South Africa) want to listen to us talk about how important soccer is to us and how much more important Jesus is? 

How much MORE impacting would it be if we play to the BEST of the ability God's given us?Winning isn't about making our name great, but HIS. Everything changes when He is the one we're trying to make famous.