More on Sports

I watched the film Gridiron Gang on Friday night. It's a film that I thought looked a little too cheesy in spots when I saw the previews, but thanks to the invention of Netflix, I can give films like that a shot with little loss. Former professional wrestler The Rock stars as a juvenile detention center worker who decides to create a football team with the "inmates" to try to teach them life skills. And it is cheesy in spots - my guess is The Rock had to really hold in his laughter during some of his "inspirational" pep talks. It was entertaining, though, and certainly worth my weekly Netflix choice. Also, it reminded me of what I now consider the most important truth about life I learned from playing sports.

That vital idea is the importance of shared life experience in building relationships. The concept is not found only in athletics; it's just the first place I learned it. Through sports, especially football, I grew close to people who were nothing like me and who I never would have picked as friends. Because we spent days going through difficult practices together, and our Friday nights were spent fighting for the same goal, we became close. We developed relationships. I still have many of them today.

That idea has continued to prove itself throughout my life. The people I've developed close relationships with have been people with whom I've shared a signficant amount of life experiences. As I look at those people, I realize that a majority of them don't agree with me on a number of things. Over half have a significantly different worldview and believe very different things about God (or his absence in the world).

The application of this idea for adults now, especially for those who claim Christianity and the goal of showing the love and power of God to those who don't see it, is that we will have a much bigger chance to have that impact through shared life experience. And I'm not sure Christians have a great reputation for seeking shared experiences with non-Christians. Christ did.

I believe there is also a great deal to be gained from those who think differently, especially an understanding of their perspective. Too often those with whom we disagree are the enemy, and we attempt to have a contest about who can shout the loudest (usually through newspapers, media, or in one-sided conversations in which we mock this "enemy" where they won't hear and won't get a chance to respond).

I don't want to sound like I believe "inclusion" is an answer for Christians. I'll write more on that in my next post. I simply believe what a lifetime of experience (especially in athletics as both a coach and player) has taught me - deep relationships come from intense shared life experiences.