“Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice.” -Proverbs 24:17
How relatable and convicting is this verse for the coach’s wife?! We often find ourselves instinctively rooting for the team that we don’t like to lose. Or maybe we are secretly hoping a certain coach that bothers us gets fired. It is so easy to let our mind drift to these thoughts. It’s part of our sinful nature. But the Lord warns against this. This chapter in Proverbs goes on to say that “the Lord will see and disapprove.” We must learn to shift our view away from this worldly mindset of being in competition with everyone around us.
But wait a minute- is He telling this coaching family to not be competitive?! I’m pretty sure if my husband is reading this, he is squirming in his seat right now. It is not that God doesn’t want us to enjoy friendly competition. The word ‘game’ is literally defined as a form of PLAY- it’s supposed to be fun! But when our hearts turn from enjoyment, kindness, and holiness to envy, anger, and retaliation, that is when it becomes a problem.
Anxiety and jealousy can take root in our hearts if we do not approach our opponents with love and respect, even when it seems hard or unfair. Although our goal in our sports seasons may be to win every competition or outwit the enemy, our goal in every season of life should be to lead others to life-change through Jesus. And as difficult as it may seem sometimes, that goal takes humility, gentleness, and grace.
-Shannon Purvis
How relatable and convicting is this verse for the coach’s wife?! We often find ourselves instinctively rooting for the team that we don’t like to lose. Or maybe we are secretly hoping a certain coach that bothers us gets fired. It is so easy to let our mind drift to these thoughts. It’s part of our sinful nature. But the Lord warns against this. This chapter in Proverbs goes on to say that “the Lord will see and disapprove.” We must learn to shift our view away from this worldly mindset of being in competition with everyone around us.
But wait a minute- is He telling this coaching family to not be competitive?! I’m pretty sure if my husband is reading this, he is squirming in his seat right now. It is not that God doesn’t want us to enjoy friendly competition. The word ‘game’ is literally defined as a form of PLAY- it’s supposed to be fun! But when our hearts turn from enjoyment, kindness, and holiness to envy, anger, and retaliation, that is when it becomes a problem.
Anxiety and jealousy can take root in our hearts if we do not approach our opponents with love and respect, even when it seems hard or unfair. Although our goal in our sports seasons may be to win every competition or outwit the enemy, our goal in every season of life should be to lead others to life-change through Jesus. And as difficult as it may seem sometimes, that goal takes humility, gentleness, and grace.
-Shannon Purvis
Recent
Archive
2023
2022
October
November
2021
December
2020
2019
April
August
September
October
Categories
no categories
No Comments