The Heart of Sports... Through a Child's Eyes!

I am preaching on Matthew 18:1-4 "Who Is The Greatest" this morning and I came across this article by Brad Locke...

Sometimes it's good for adults to revert to childhood.

What with all the 'roids, riots and reefer seizing the sports page headlines, it's enough to make me want to retreat to that long-lost cocoon of bliss I once enjoyed as a young athlete, when my biggest concern was how to get rid of all my Dale Berra cards.

I wish to again view sports through a lens of wonder and unabashed joy, before I knew athletes were overpaid and uncivilized, before I knew they didn't play the game for the same reasons I played.

Blissful ignorance wouldn't solve any problems, of course. But a childlike perspective (not to be confused with childlike behavior) by all involved could return sports to a more honorable state.

Players: Instead of insisting on more money and treating a game like a business, be thankful that someone's paying you to play in their really cool backyard. Instead of acting like losing is the end of the world, find a way to smile from the sheer joy of playing.

Instead of working so much on getting better and breaking down film, take an off-day to be with family or just to be lazy. Instead of talking up your own greatness, lavish praise on all your teammates who make it possible for you to succeed. More...