Passion in Our Play (Part 1)
By Nate Hartman
August 12, 2010Sit up straight. Be quiet. Don’t fuss. Stay out of that. Sit still. Move back over here. Don’t whine. I found myself in the midst of such a struggle with my three-year-old in church this past Sunday, where my darling daughter could be preoccupied with books and crayons for only so long; the moment of disinterest had arrived early this week. The rest of the service, then, was more of a time of disciplining and controlling Esther than it was an act of worship.
I’m sure that scenario sounds familiar to many of you – those of you who have been the whisper-wielding parent, as well as those of you who’ve played the role of the cooped-up kid. Many of us can remember vividly being cast as both characters in the story, and the setting is not restricted to church. We’ve been the parent and the child, the teacher and the student, the supervisor and the employee. My point is that many institutions in our society place a high degree of value on basic behavior that sometimes comes across as amounting to “looking right.”
“Looking right?” you ask. Yes, the child in the pew must not cause a spectacle or embarrass his parents, must behave properly in a church setting. The student at school must stay still in his desk, consistently raise his hand before speaking, and be sure to always write his name and the date in the correct spot on homework assignments. Likewise, the employee must dress professionally, answer phones cheerfully, and master the nuances of workplace etiquette. Codes of conduct, student handbooks, “time-out” – all are reflections of the paramount value we place on proper behaviors that help individuals maintain an acceptable image.
Now I’m not suggesting that all of these desired behaviors are completely invalid, or that maintaining a pleasing and positive appearance holds no importance. What we must recognize, though, is that our insistence on these matters often leads the child, the student, the worker – and the athlete – to confuse the rigor with the reason. Churchgoers often place more value on how they appear (as well-dressed, smiling Christians with cheery attitudes) than whether they honor God with their worship. Many scholars take pride in the degrees and honors they’ve received; they revel in the praise of their teachers, but often disregard whether they’ve learned anything truly useful or grown from their experiences. The “employee of the month” gets his name on a plaque, and the masses that comprise today’s workforce scurry about to please the boss, earn a promotion, get a raise; yet what percentage of employee seek daily ways to improve their work and maximize their service to others?
Consider now the athletes you know, even those who play there at the local Christian school. What priorities have been communicated to them about the nature of a Christian athlete? They should not drink or swear or smoke, am I right? Christian schools pray before their games, and many of their gyms are decorated with posters of Bible verses, positive messages, and crosses. The team smiles at the end of the game and shakes hands with the other team. These athletes give a good impression as a bunch of really nice, well-behaved Christian kids. Again, please don’t think I’m disregarding the value of any of those things; each can play a key role in accomplishing athletics that glorifies God. However, as we are often quick to criticize professional, collegiate, and even big-time high school athletics for allowing glitzy athletics to inappropriately occupy a much-too-lofty platform, we must take care that our Christian schools don’t create candy-coated sports programs of our own. We must not teach athletes that the appearance of their sports – the way the athletes behave and their impression upon others – is the full measure of a job well done, an attainment of excellence; there must be more.
As we seek to honor God with our athletics, we must remember that just as winning is not the primary goal, excellence is marked by more than just “looking right.”
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Nate Hartman is the director of the National Christian School Athletic Association, located in Beaver Falls, PA. His years of involvement as a student, athlete, teacher, coach, and athletic director at Christian schools have made him passionate about athletics that "declares the praises of Him who called you out of darkness and into HIs marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9).
This is Part 1 of a five-part series entitled "Passion in Our Play", which will be published throughout the coming week on the NCSAA web site.
To discuss this article directly with Nate, or to add your own comments to this discussion, please use the comments box below. We'd appreciate hearing your perspective!
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Republished from Passion in Play (September/October 2003) - Copyright © 2003 NCSAA
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