What is the difference between traditional sports and Christ-centered sports and games?

Would it be a wise and joyful decision for you to join or start a local Christ-centered games and sports club?

You may be wondering what the difference is between traditional sports like pickleball and ping-pong and Christ-centered sports.   In short, when you choose to practice Christ-centered sports, games, or activities and live your life in a Christ-centered way, then in all your interactions, you will choose to be very careful and wise with every thought and word that comes out of your mouth—no swearing, no unkind words toward yourself or others, no anger, etc.—even if you lose an important point or game.

You will choose to be kind, respectful, loving, patient, generous, and serving to everyone you deal with in every interaction – – – as Jesus Christ taught us to do through the amazing example of His life and teachings – – – even when you have just lost a point or an important game in pickleball or ping-pong, or if you are in a stressful situation or having a bad day, and someone is in a bad mood with you at work, at home, or wherever you are.

When you choose to live your life in a Christ-centered way, you keep in mind that relationships are what matter most and bring the greatest joy and inner peace during our brief time on earth and forever after – – – not “things” that money can buy, like big, fancy houses, or cars, or wealth, or fame, or a beautiful body, or worldly pleasures, etc. Throughout my years on earth, I have gradually and prayerfully learned with certainty that nothing that money can buy is worth much in comparison to the wonderful gifts or fruits of the Spirit that our loving Heavenly Father freely gives to those who simply choose to follow His teachings with full purpose of heart.

       I have two very important questions for each of you to reflect on:

Question #1: What do you think is more joyful at least 10 times more – – – traditional sports or Christ-centered sports?    – – Yes, you are absolutely right that there is far more joy in living according to the joy-producing teachings of Jesus Christ, because truly, all real joy during our short time on earth, and forever after, is in the quality of our trusting and loving relationships with God, with ourselves, with family members, and with others.

Important Question #2: What do you think is more joyful—at least ten times more—a traditional life or a Christ-centered life?—Yes  , you are right, a Christ-centered life is far more joyful than any other kind of life, because it blesses and strengthens all of our most important and joyful relationships. 

A very wise person once taught that “there are really only two ways to experience true joy. One is to feel true love from someone, and the other is to feel true love for someone.”  No amount of money can buy true joy. And if you stop to reflect on that, that’s great, because otherwise it wouldn’t be fair at all for our loving Heavenly Father to design things so that you can buy true happiness or joy with money, because many people grow up in impoverished conditions, and with very few opportunities to make much money.

One of our goals with our Christ-centered sports and games activities is to have fun together as friends. However, the most important and joyful purpose of Christ-centered sports and games is for us all to help one another gradually train our thoughts, habits, and inner spiritual part to become more Christlike, loving, and kind, so that we may all experience more joy, love, inner peace, and more loving and trusting relationships with God, with ourselves, with our family members, and with one another during our short earthly school and probationary period and for all eternity.

I’d like to share a little riddle with you. Listen carefully and see if any of you can find the answer to this riddle:

As I read the Riddle, try to figure out who or what the answer is:  

Who or what am I? 

I am your constant companion.

That’s why I am either your greatest help or your greatest burden.

I will push you forward or drag you down.

And I am completely at your service.

Half the things you do, you better hand them over to me and I’ll do them quickly and correctly.

I’m easy to handle; you just have to be firm with me.

Show me exactly how you want something done and after a few lessons, I’ll do it automatically.

I am the servant of all great men and women and, unfortunately, also of all failures.

Those who are great, I have made great. Those who are failures, I have made failures.

I am not a machine, although I work with the precision and repetition of a machine, as well as the intelligence of a human.

You can lead me to profit or ruin, it’s all the same to me.

Take me, train me, be firm with me, and I’ll lay the world at your feet. Be easy on me, and I’ll destroy you.

Who am I?

(Can anyone tell us who or what I am?)

I am Habit.

The following is a great, powerful quote from John Dryden: “First we make our habits, and then our habits make us.”

I like to think of our short time on earth as a period of testing and learning in earthly school, because that’s how God has described it in the Scriptures He has given us, to guide our lives in the most progressive and joy-producing ways. 

In the daily game of life, about once or twice a day, someone does something that annoys or frustrates us, and so we have the opportunity to choose: Will I pass this earthly school test by choosing to react with kindness, respect, courtesy, compassion, and love, as Jesus Christ taught us to do through the example of His life and teachings, or not?

Every few seconds while playing pickleball, ping-pong, tennis, basketball, and many other sports; the point or the game goes our way or our opponent’s – – – which gives us the wonderful opportunity every few seconds to work on training our thought process and “habits” to always react with kindness, respect, courtesy, encouragement, warm smiles, etc. – – – or the opposites, – – – toward ourselves, our teammates, and our opponents – – and even toward God, who sees all things. 

If we choose with every point of the game or sport to work on training our minds and habits to react with kindness and respect toward every person in the competition, including ourselves, our teammates, and opponents—even when we or our doubles partner makes a mistake—then we will learn to build and maintain many joyful and uplifting friendships—which means a happy, joyful, and grateful life on earth and forevermore.

There is no more important or joyful habit we can develop than sharing kindness, love, and service toward our family members and others.