As the “big game” approaches, we can expect to hear someone from the winning side talk about their faith in Christ. But what should we think about Christian athletes as spiritual role models?
Christian Athletes as Disciples
Last month, I wrote a column on prayer in sports (What Place Does Prayer Have in Sports for Fans and Athletes?) I contrasted prayers by fans for their team to win with prayers by athletes. I suggested that athletes could reasonably pray for several things. Athletes can pray that they do their best, and that they (and their opponents) be protected from injury. However, I also suggested that Christian athletes should pray that they would reflect the Spirit of Christ and that they might glorify God by their actions.
I also discussed those athletes who thank God and/or Jesus after a victory, and wondered whether they would say the same thing after a loss. Of course, losing athletes don’t get interviewed in the immediate aftermath of a loss nearly as often. But is it fair to expect perfect Christian attitudes from athletes – win or lose – when we don’t expect that of ourselves?
The fact is that most athletes that we see on television – whether college or professional – are young men and women. They perform under a great deal of pressure, and with incredible attention to everything they say and do. When I think back to my early 20s – at the beginning of my discipleship journey – I certainly didn’t do and say everything perfectly! (I’m almost 65 now, and I still don’t do wand say everything perfectly.) So why would I expect young men and women to flawlessly reflect the spirit and attitude of Christ?
Christian Athletes as Spiritual Children
Scripture uses the metaphors of babies and children to refer to our spiritual journey in many places. That makes sense when you think about it; we’re all children of our Heavenly Father. Jesus told Nicodemus that we need to be “born again” – a spiritual birth in addition to our physical birth. If we are “born again,” that means that we are spiritual infants at the beginning of our journey. Just as we don’t expect perfect performance from babies, we shouldn’t expect it from spiritual children either.
But we do have the responsibility to participate in our growth and maturity. Some of our learning is instinctual; babies learn to walk and talk by watching and listening to their parents. As their bodies mature, they become able to follow those examples. With each step in their development, we expect them to build upon what they’ve already learned. The same is true in our spiritual development.
I love John’s first epistle, and the way that he uses the imagery of human growth and development to relate to the spiritual life. On several occasions, he calls his readers “dear children” or “little children.” He continually points them toward their Heavenly Father, but he also acknowledges that there are “fathers” and “young men” as well as “children” in the community of faith.
We Need Each Other
We all need mentors in our faith journey, and we also need companions. Finally, each of us should have others whom we are mentoring. Years ago, Dr. Howard Hendricks described this by saying that we all need a Paul, a Timothy, and a Barnabas in our lives. Paul is a mentor, someone from whom we can learn. Timothy is a protégé, someone that we are helping to grow in their spiritual journey. And Barnabas is a companion to walk with us in good times and bad. I love the way Dr. Hendricks described what it means to be a Barnabas: “Someone who loves us, but is not impressed by us.” Someone who can hold us accountable, who has our permission to say, “What are you doing?” The faith journey was never intended to be a “solo flight.”
Well, what does this have to do with sports and athletes and their faith? I suggest there are at least a couple of applications. First, athletes who are disciples of Jesus need to be setting an example for others – like every other believer. However, these athletes often have a greater opportunity to set an example, because many more people are watching them. And the rest of us who follow Jesus should be very slow to point out flaws, and very ready to applaud their efforts to grow in faith.
Second, as I pointed out above, we need to remember that many of these athletes are fairly young in their faith. We need to give them grace to grow, and we need to pray for them. I can’t imagine the temptations that face star athletes, nor the pressure that they feel as they try to glorify God. Again, we should pray for them. Pray that they will put their trust in God rather than in themselves.
Extending Grace
Finally, I think we should resist the temptation to judge them when they fall short of the mark. I was watching a sporting event recently, and saw an athlete who is a Christian demonstrate an outburst of anger. I admit that I was surprised, because I don’t believe that is a common thing for him. But he’s human! And I’d be lying if I said there aren’t times when I react in anger when I shouldn’t. If God can forgive me – and He does – then I should be able to forgive myself. And if I can forgive myself, then I can certainly forgive someone else.
In fact, Jesus makes it clear that forgiving each other is one of the fundamental principles of the Kingdom. And think about this: He tells us to forgive each other when we do wrong against each other. Why would we struggle to forgive others when they do something that has nothing to do with us at all? An athlete who struggles with anger, or who doesn’t always reflect Kingdom values, hasn’t done anything to me – so why wouldn’t I forgive them?
Jesus told a parable about an unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:23-35). The first servant was forgiven a debt that was so huge he could never have repaid it. He then went out and refused to forgive his fellow servant for a much smaller debt. In fact, he had his fellow servant thrown in prison until he repaid the debt. The Master in that parable said, “You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?” (Matthew 18:32-33). Again, if we are to forgive others who actually have “sinned against us” in that way, how much more should we extend grace to each other?
Christian Athletes as Role Models
“Do not judge, so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:1-3).
Only God is qualified to judge us. Jesus said that God knows what is in our hearts, and judges us based on that. Since we can’t know what is in anyone else’s heart, we need to extend grace and give them the benefit of the doubt. That’s true for family members and friends, and it’s just as true for public figures like athletes. When they profess faith in Christ, we should rejoice! And if we think they’re off track, we should pray for them, not criticize them. After all, we all have a story to tell of our faith journey. And God calls us to tell those stories so that others may find their way to Him!
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