Spectators

I like to read about sports. Certainly, there are many ignoble athletes today. Guns, drugs, sex. But there are many inspirational stories as well. Fighting back into shape, handicaps, comebacks, overcoming obstacles.

 

One genre of sports story is the athlete of faith. Kurt Warner, Team Hoyt, Tony Dughy, Colt McCoy – there are plenty. Most of us are moved by these. Beyond that, I see another phenomenon. Spectator Faith.

 

We are used to spectator sports. We watch lots of them. More as we age. We even miss church for them! We like them. Spectator faith is similar. We are awed by the faith examples of an athlete. We watch, in awe, the great obstacles they have overcome or the great perseverance they put in, and "ooh" and "ahh."

 

We collect these stories and retell them. They truly are inspiring. But, are we making our own inspiring stories? Or are we leaving an active faith behind just as we leave an active sporting life behind. Do we settle for watching, maybe even faith trash-talking, (I get a million faith emails forwarded – and I do read them) without ever acting on out faith and creating our own stories of transformation and new life? Does our life do the faith-talking or only our email forwards? No disrespect to a good email, we are meant to write our own stories with our own courage, faith and perseverance.

 

No head fake. Christianity is not a spectator sport. It is full-body contact. Drop and give God twenty.