I love sports. I love to watch them, talk about them, go to games, even obsess over the players. I fully admit that I sometimes get a little consumed with scoreboard watching. I even let my emotions get a little tied up in the results. It’s something that I’ve made a concerted effort to be careful about, and believe or not, I’ve cared a lot less lately that I have in years past. Sports are fun because in of themselves, they’re pretty neutral. Compared to a lot of the junk on TV, a good afternoon baseball game is breath of fresh air. I know how easily sports can become an idol, and I keep a very close eye on that in my own life.
One thing you should know about me is that I have never, and will never, put a sporting event ahead of God. Not in a physical sense, and not in my heart, no matter how crazy I get. It’s all just for fun. It can be time consuming, another thing that I pay close attention to. I monitor my priorities all the time, and at the end of the day, that’s what its about. Where does your mind go? Where does your time go? Where does your best effort go?
In 2009, my favorite hockey team was on the cusp of winning the championship. Game 7 (winner take all) was on a Friday night. I didn’t for one second consider staying home to watch the game. I went to church as I always do. I was able to catch the third period once the service finished, and my team ended up winning. Putting something as meaningless as a game ahead of going to the house of God always seemed foolish to me. This year was a similar situation. My team had a chance to win. I went to church instead.
I’m not saying all this to toot my own horn, because trust me I’ve been a work in progress. But I’ve come to understand, now more than ever, that in the light of eternity, sports mean nothing. And my heart’s best effort should never be towards something so futile. This brings me to the newest craze of the day, the Pokemon Go game. (I’m not going to discuss in this particular article whether or not Pokemon is demonic. You can read plenty of stuff on that debate). What I do want to talk about is how easily, and how willingly people run to something that is ultimately so meaningless.
I don’t personally play the game, but my husband and most of my friends do, so I’m extremely well versed in the whole phenomenon. I don’t have a problem with entertainment. We read in the Bible about instances where Jesus rested, and reclined at the table with his friends, to clearly suggest that it’s okay to take a break every now and then. Obviously what we relax with can have a harmful effect on our lives, but that’s also not the point today. It’s okay to play a game. (I’ve even heard Pokemon has caused people to come to church, so I guess there’s some good in it?)
The issue here is the level of excitement and intrigue over the silly minutia of life, and a distinct lack of passion over the things of God. You’ve heard this a million times before, right? In one ear and out the other. But right now you may want to pay attention. A game on a phone that provides no real benefit in life has given so much motivation to people, its really remarkable. They will walk or drive pretty much anywhere for this game. They’ll talk about it relentlessly. They’ll post about it on social media. They’ll get excited when they achieve something. They’ll tell all their friends. That’s fine, but where is all that when it comes to Jesus?
Getting people into church is like pulling teeth. Getting them to sit through a service for a couple of hours is torture, but they’ll run around chasing cartoon monsters all day without batting an eye. They haven’t read their Bible in weeks, but they’ll sit and stare at their phone for an hour if necessary for this game. The issue here isn’t entertainment. You can love a game if you want. This is exact human nature, though. To focus on what pleases ourselves rather than what pleases God. To get joy out of entertainment rather than through Jesus.
Shouldn’t Christians have a different nature, though? That’s the problem here. I love sports, yes. I love Jesus more. I will sacrifice any and every game for God. They might have my attention in the moment, but I understand they can’t hold my attention. I’ve seen so much passion out of people for a game, and a severe lack of interest for their Lord. There’s no dancing around it. They couldn’t care less about church, they play on their phones through the service, they can’t wait to get out. But they’ll drop everything when Pokemon comes calling.
I was forced to take a good hard look in the mirror at what was truly controlling my heart and mind. I don’t want any game, or person, or form of entertainment become more exciting than the things of God. But that’s where we’re at in this day and age. The world is crumbling around us. People are going to hell at an alarming rate. And the only thing getting us off our butts is a yellow monster or red and white ball? There’s a problem here.
