Archive for God
Who Am I?
Posted by: | CommentsAccording to this ESPN story, that seems to be the question that Jennifer Capriati is having a difficult time answering right now. If you recall, or as the story will remind you, she was a tennis star at around age 13, who after falling out of the game, returned for a while, only to have to retire due to a few injuries.
As a professional athlete, I really feel for her, because I know this isn’t an easy thing. The question of an athlete’s true identity is often difficult to define apart from sports, because when you reach a certain level of success, most people begin to relate to you on the basis of your place as an athlete. Combine this with the tendency of every human heart to identify oneself with what one accomplishes, and athletic success often makes it difficult to really define who you are in any real and lasting fashion.
From a Christian perspective, the only real answer to this concern is Jesus Christ. Sure, as a Christian, I still struggle with viewing myself as God views me, but to a great degree I have found the freedom that I believe only Christ can give, so that when that question arises, “Who am I?”, there is an answer that doesn’t change. Indeed, by God’s grace, He used athletic success in my life to show me that I needed Him.
And interestingly enough, I have found that the more I find my identity and security in Christ, the more free I am to enjoy the game I so love and in turn, the more free I am to play it better. When you aren’t defined by how well you perform, there is much less heat to perform great. There is freedom. And where there is freedom, there should be great play.
Of course, there is more to it than that, but there certainly isn’t less. And even if you aren’t an athlete, you should have compassion for Capriati, because you are just as prone as her to seek your identity in what you do rather than whose you are.
Christians and the Environment
Posted by: | CommentsThree men weighed in for Christianity Today on how concerned Christians should be for the environment. Their answers aren’t comprehensive, but they are a great start.
Here’s Al Mohler.
And Jonathan Merritt.
Also worth mentioning is that Jonathan Merritt’s book, Green Like God, looks like a good one to check out.
Valuing Perseverance
Posted by: | CommentsI enjoy the Olympics. Though I am not sure I would watch any of the Olympic sports at any other time, I thoroughly enjoy them every four years.
One of the things that comes with every Olympics is personal stories of perseverance. It is inevitable and, it seems, constant, during the Olympic broadcasts. Every athlete has a story. And many of the athletes have a particular setback that they were able to overcome or endure in order to make it to the Olympics. An injury, a death in the family, failure four years ago, etc.
While watching one of these stories the other day, it hit me…I thoroughly enjoy these stories of perseverance, yet I don’t really want to be one of those folks who have to persevere and endure such difficult things.
That goes for most of it doesn’t it? We are inspired by tales of overcoming difficult obstacles, yet we tend to despise the obstacles in our own lives, the very things that can make us people of perseverance. We seem to simply want little more than everything coming easy. We are content with being inspired, when we could become inspiring.
According to Scripture, God is jealous to make His people people of perseverance. We are even told that Christians should count various kinds of trials joy because they are used by God to make us people of maturity and perseverance (James 1:2-4). While watching the Olympics, I am wise to use the plethora of perseverance stories to remind myself that I should not despise the means God ordains to making me a man that, just maybe, can inspire others and not just be inspired. Maybe you can watch and be reminded of the same.
