Christy Mathewson was Americans’ first great sports hero. He pitched for baseball’s Giants, then in New York, and won 373 games, in the top 5 all time.
He mother wanted him to be a minister. He chose baseball. Later, she said that he was reaching more people, especially boys, with his Christian lifestyle than he ever would have reached as a minister.
If God calls you to be a minister, of course, you should do it – just like another baseball star, Billy Sunday. He was the fastest man in the game a couple decades before Mathewson, and yet turned down a huge contract in order to spread the Gospel.
The point is, though, that even if you aren’t called to be a minister, people are watching. At a high school or even Little League level, a person can reach many teammates and opposing players through their conduct. Good, Christian conduct should make a person stand out, just as Mathewson did from the ruffians of his day.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you need to go around quoting the Bible all the time. There are probably some who did that more than others – Brooklyn had a pitcher whose nickname was Preacher, for instance. Hall of Fame lineman Reggie White was even an ordained minister. But, there is something more crucial.
That more crucial element is how you lose. Anyone can be a good sport when they win – though, sadly, too many people boast and trash talk, which is wrong. As we said earlier, we need to be building others up, never tearing them down. When White played, for instance, he was great enough just the thought of him sacking a quarterback was very intimidating. It takes a special spirit to be a good sport about losing.
That doesn’t mean you lose your competitiveness. Chris Spielman is another great athlete who was a Christian first. He was extremely competitive. In his first game at Ohio State, as a freshman, the team was losing badly, but the coach wanted to get him used to the college experience before putting him in a game. Spielman was so excited on the sideline, the coach put him in the game just to let him run off some steam, since if he made any mistakes it wouldn’t hurt. Spielman played so well he almost single-handedly brought the team back to win! He wasn’t as good as White, but he and Reggie White both were highly competitive, and driven to win. That shows the ones you’re working for – your coach, your teammates, and your fans - that you’re a good, dependable worker, and that’s vital to your testimony.
However, being a good Christian athlete means praising Jesus Christ as Savior if you’ve just lost, instead of just after you win. It also means not getting upset t blown calls or other bad stuff. We need to realize officials are human, just like all of us. And, God can teach us important lessons through losses.
It’s hard in the heat of the moment. But, that just shows why we need to be fully relying on the Lord to help us through everything. Whether it’s a kid playing tee ball or a a superstar in the pros, we need to rely on God-given talent alone, work hard to get better like White, Spielman, Mathewson, and others, and show that we’re fully committed to God’s game plan – putting our testimonies first, and letting the game take care of itself. If God wants a person to reach the next level, He will make a way, and will do it through means that are completely legal. If not, then one should never resort to artificial means. The safest place to be is at the center of God’s will.
The world’s ways don’t just cause problems for athletes. They are one of the biggest problems for others, too.
