What I learned about Christianity from sports radio.

I enjoy listening to sports radio, tuning into sports commentators and hearing their specific opinions on sports, players, and the news happening around the sport they are covering. I played sports when I was young, so I am naturally just drawn towards sports talk and activity.

Recently on my commute to work, I was listening to the commentators talk about a baseball player who is currently struggling to perform. They talked about his mechanics being off and that he’s not seeing the ball the way he should. He seems too distracted. There’s too much pressure on him right now. Then, the commentator made this comment:

"Ya it just seems like he isn't enjoying the game anymore. The simplicity of throwing and hitting a ball and just being a kid out there playing the game he loves. He's lost the pleasure of the game. Once this happens, it is hard to get it back."

Performance seems to be the norm in our culture today. If you perform well, do your job successfully, and produce what is expected of you, then you are on the right track. You may get a promotion. You will be admired by your peers. It's all about doing well and showing that you have what it takes. It’s like this in sports. Business as well. Life seems to be all about this. Perform. Perform. Perform.

Well, what if we think the Christian faith is similar to this idea? What if I woke up everyday and said to myself: I just need to perform well for God today. Just need to nail it in my relationship with him. I really need to make the most of the shots I take for God and make sure I am dialed in throughout my day with Jesus. I think I would find myself feeling deflated, lost, and even disappointed on how much I am missing the mark when it comes to performing for God.

I wonder if this was one of the problems with the Rich Ruler in Luke's (Chapter 18) gospel. Do you remember him? He comes to Jesus and asks this question:

"What must I do to inherit eternal life?"

Jesus lists off a series of questions about the 10 commandments. Do not murder. Do not steal. Do not commit adultery. The Rich Ruler explains that he has kept all of these rules from his youth.

He is basically saying I have performed well. I have done this my whole life. I have followed the rules. I showed up each day and obeyed all the commandments. I have passed the test of following God and doing what he says. Yet, Jesus' response is honest and real:

"One thing you still lack."

Put differently, you've lost the pleasure of knowing me (or perhaps you never did). You know how to play the game. You know how to perform. You know the rules. You know the way it operates and you have your routine. But, you’re missing something in the journey and the process. You forgot me. You forgot that life is meant to be lived and enjoyed with me. It's not a race to the finish or a performing routine. Life is meant to be filled with laughter, purpose, and childlike joy. It is meant for pleasure, not performance. It’s meant for stillness, not just staying busy. It is more of a step-by-step stride and less of a sprint of achievement.

I need to stop and ask myself: What am I lacking? Where am I trying to perform for God and prove myself to him? For the Rich Ruler, his wealth was in the way of knowing God. What hinders me from knowing God and taking pleasure in him? Do I wake up each day resting in God and his love for me? Or am I waking up each day trying to win the day through performance and recognition? If so, I need a change. I need a surrender. I need to be born again, again.

God does not want something from you; he wants YOU.

As you start each day, remember that you don’t exist to perform, you exist because God loves you and desires a personal relationship with you. He created you for his good pleasure; to be known by him and make him known to others. On those days that you feel distracted, like you’re failing and the pleasure of life is slipping, turn your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith.

He loves you, he’s got you, and is cheering you on!