Carroll Baptist Church
Saturday, March 14, 2009
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Carroll Baptist Church
Saturday, March 14, 2009
|
The World of SportsMany long time sports fans have grown weary of the seemingly endless parade of headlines telling of the latest scandal involving well known athletes. If they are not in jail or awaiting trial they are demanding to renegotiate a multi-million dollar contract or going out on strike. At times the strikes are planned so as to cause fans a maximum of distress. At least a part of what makes this so problematic is that society at large and young people in particular see and hear this so much it gains a measure of cultural acceptance. The media joins in decrying this circumstance but argues that it has to give the public what it wants. This is somewhat like the television news maxim "If it bleeds, it leads". We are told that media is simply reflecting society. The obvious conclusion then is that those athletes who are positive role models are either incredibly boring, untalented and/or nonexistent. Presenting any living person as a worthy role model is a risky proposition. That problem is rooted in scripture which says "If any man says he does not sin, he is deceiving himself and the truth is not in him." It goes on to say "If we say that we have not sinned, we make God a liar and the Word of God is not in us." (I John 1:8, 10) But I do believe there are countless men and women who strive to live their lives in a way that brings honor to their Lord, their families and themselves. The fact some may at times falter should not cause us to refrain from recognizing their positive contributions. It may be true that in the past people were portrayed one dimensionally. Any faults were overlooked. While I am not advocating a return to this type of reporting it at least reflected a sense of what heroes ought to be. It gave us something to hold up as what a standard should be whether or not the individuals always lived up to it. As it stands today, we are neither surprised nor disappointed when athletes live down to the standards or lack thereof. We hope you and your children are encouraged, uplifted and challenged by the stories presented here. If, after seeing a public person recognized for positive character, you read of his or her failing in some public way, we encourage you to pray for them. Actually it would be a good idea to do this before the fact. If you are a parent, talk to your child about failing and getting up and trying again. |
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