Some athletes win more than a game.
I have been a sports fan for as long as I can remember. My favorite team sport is football.
Every fall, I follow my favorite teams. I watch the games on television. I keep track of the standings. I read the sports pages. At the end of the season, some teams will stand out because they won. (Usually, these are not my teams. :)) These teams will have won the big game. A college teams and a pro team will be designated as the best.
Yet, there are others who win. There are individuals who win the respect and the admiration of men and women across the nation because of their character. Coach Tony Dungy has made such a positive impact on people because of his character. His story can be read in his books, Quiet Strength and Uncommon: Finding Your Path to Significance. Hear him reflect on life in this video:
There are several college players who have recently encouraged many people through their character. I think of people like Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow (The University of Florida). Sam Bradford (The University of Oklahoma) and Colt McCoy (The University of Texas) are two positive examples. (See their “We are Second” video here.) I was impressed with Mark Ingram (The University of Alabama) and his humility as he accepted the Heisman Trophy. (See his Heisman speech here).
Just the other night, Alabama beat Texas in the BCS National Championship. Colt McCoy was injured in the opening moments of the game and did not play for the remainder of the game. Even though his team lost the game, McCoy continued to earn the respect of people across the nation as he shared these remarks:
No doubt, there are many, many other men and women athletes who could be listed in this post. I am grateful for these people who are visible before so many people and who represent good character.
They are winning more than a game.
No doubt there are some classy men and women in the sports world these days. We generally only hear about the ones who beat spouses, father children out of marriage, have chain adulteries, or commit crimes.
Good observations, I might add that our Lord
Jesus came to save such folks and we as his
earthen vessels have a lot of work to do.
In Coach Dungy’s book UNCOMMON he makes a statement that should be posted in a prominent place for all elders and ministers to reflect on. Why? Because it will take a lot of pressure off of your mind. He said, “God calls on us to be faithful-not successful.”
There is deep meaning in this statement since if we are faithful we will be successful in all the ways that matter eternaly but it will be through the power of God. I suggest that any level of success we achieve without faith is useless.
I found you on the top 100 Christian blog site and this is a great post! I actually wanted to send you a direct message for this, but this article corresponds really well with a recent post of mine: “Who’s Your Head Coach in the Game of Life?”
http://figliving.com/whos-your-head-coach-in-the-game-of-life/
I would be honored if you could take a second to check it out and consider me as a guest contributor to your blog. Thanks and God Bless!
Jason, thanks for your kind words regarding this post. I will be glad to read your post. Thanks so much. Hope that you will comment again.