After coaching my kids in sports, both the girls and the boys, for over seven years and running from one practice and game to another, having one kid in multiple sports; the Lord stopped us. He checked Lisa and me on our motivation. “Are you teaching your kids to put sports before family? Before Me”?
The question the Lord asked was, “Are you avoiding something with all this running around and what are you teaching your kids”? We realized we didn’t have to be intimate as a family or even as a couple if we kept so busy their wasn’t even time for family dinner.
We shut down more then one sport a season. Family dinner became priority. Date nights for Lisa and I. We brought things back in order and watched our kids get the message loud and clear. So much so that our stud athletes asked if we could move to Africa and not fulfill their passion for sports for a while. Being back here in America, I was a little worried of how the transition back to this “prince” that can control you so easily would be.
As you know, Tyler, our almost 17 year old son came back a bit early to play Rugby. He was asked to try out for the under 19 Olympic team for Beijing. After breaking his jaw and learning just exactly what a tough sport Rugby is, (he calls his brothers wimps for putting football helmets on now), he stuck with his team and they won state this weekend! A huge victory for a Colorado Springs Rugby team to win state – his team had 26 total players, the team they beat in Denver had 126 try out!
Michael, our 14 year old, was asked to join his old team in Spring Football. He played the last four games and this weekend, Saturday morning, they went undefeated for the second season in a row and Michael enjoyed hitting hard and scoring a few touchdowns.
The second day back from Africa, Caleb our 11 year old was asked to play on a competitive basketball team. Saturday afternoon and Sunday, this team also went undefeated and won the championship!
From Denver to Colorado Springs; Basketball, football and rugby – we are true Americans! Three championships in one weekend; is all this God’s favor on our family? Are the kids being blessed because of their decision to walk away and not make sports their God? Or is it just part of growing up? (For all of us)
After all this excitement we were sitting with a few of the coach’s and dads. The adrenaline was flowing, the moms were pumped up and me and the boys just sat and listened.
On the drive home Michael said to me; “thanks dad, for letting us do this… I sure am glad we don’t make sports our God anymore, it’s fun to win, but it sure doesn’t mean what it used to”…
Congrats to the kids! Always a good reminder on priorities. Thanks.
amen – the boys are stars and if they can keep it in perspective, they are rare indeed.
Brilliant ! The boys are stars indeed . Can you be a star in moderation ?? Sports must be part of ‘the all things!’ Michael has it right – “it sure doesn`t mean what it used to..” Congratulations Blacks all round .
i miss michael. how about you tell him to stop scoring so many unimportant touchdowns and start support raising to come to nicaragua with his team. 🙂 Love your new perspective on an old challege, Black Tribe!
We have done it all, made sports our god, given it all up to serve others, and now hopefully have a balanced view, I can’t help but feel as a whole, this generation of parents are making our children think the world revolves around them by giving up family time and couple time to serve them in their “games”, besides that fact that children are exausted, and stressed out because of all their extra activities, are we destroying them by “keeping them so busy”?… I think the price we pay is too high, I think many parents need to wake up and turn their families back to the one true God and stop worshiping the god of busy and distraction.