Some people refer to me as a sports fanatic.  Let me correct that falsehood.  I am a recovering sports fanatic!  But sports will be part of my world always for whatever reason it happened.  Don't get me wrong here.  Athletics and such are still things I very much enjoy.  But you may be surprised to know that me sitting down to just watch hours of games isn't something I do much.  A person can choose between all types of outlets today but mine is still limited.  My world doesn't end when the Cowboys lose.  It does come close when the Rangers lose but that's allowed!  Some sports do not get my attention.  Consider me mostly a football and baseball guy.  Lacrosse looks like a fun sport but it still escapes me.

There is a reality to sports you cannot find in other places.  You meet all types of characters among the coaches and players.  A single game cannot define the fate of the human race but we could learn a thing or two from that world.  Traits such as loyalty, perseverance and even caring go a long way to determine the success of a team.  Racism is the hot topic in the media today.  I remember facing the huddle with both black and white faces among the mix.  All of us had to act as one to make any single play work.  Our coaches reflected the mixture of ethnicity.  We were taught not to see a skin color but to have respect for those who led us.  I watch our local teams today with the same reality but now with Hispanics joining in the huddles.  Athletes still have to cooperate with others they might not usually associate with. 

Mariano Rivera pitched just last night in the baseball All-Star game.  This is his last year as he will retire when the season ends.  He is not only a great player but he is a man of character.  Not a single player took the field when he ran in from the bullpen to pitch.  Each team stood in applause to recognize his contributions to the sport.  Then the entire stadium rose to its feet for an extended standing ovation.  Even an old guy like me got the goosebumps watching that moment.  It was real.  It was from the heart.  It was very much deserved.  It was another reason why sports will continue to matter.  I can recall moments with friends or family that connect to sport when something bigger than us took place.  I would not trade those times for anything in the world.

I fully realize that games or competitions are only a part of life.  I get that there are bad people in athletics as there are in any area of our society.  We can indeed use sports to escape far beyond where we should.  Count me guilty of that on occasions in the past.  But remember there are biblical comments or terms used that relate back to the sports of those days.  Even the great apostle Paul refers to boxing and running as metaphors in the spiritual life.  All of us enjoy different things as an outlet for the usual monotony of life.  Reading, being outside, doing crafts and other stuff take the place of sports in a few.  This is just one of my personal areas of enjoyment.  It's part of the way I am wired.

So let us all keep our life in perspective.  Let's enjoy who we are even if different from another person.  God gives us this one life to do all we can for His purpose.  We can weave our interests into our mission to better fulfill that task.  We may even enjoy it more along the way.

Bro. Trey