Loyal Hearts

I took Ryan and Seth to football camp this morning. As I stood listening to the coaches behind me I was struck by the conversation. It was actually one Scott and I had a few weeks ago as someone tried to recruit my boys for a football program in a neighboring town. At the time it just rubbed me wrong. I love our community. I love Friday night football and the spirit of ownership our county has for sports. It just seemed unloyal to go to another county (actually a rival one at that) and participate because you just thought they had a "better" program.

Let me back up and repeat what many of you know about us. We will not likely ever have a pro athlete in any sport because the time dedicated to those pursuits are NOT the beginning and end of our existence. God, He is worthy of that level of dedication. God is worthy of a lifelong work and desire to succeed. No sport compares.

With that priority in mind I am ready to talk about what IS important to me. It is ever so important that I raise children with loyal hearts. A loyalty well placed. A loyalty they understand. Those loyalties are learned early in life. They are associated with family, friends and especially sports. Sportsmanship is Christian. I believe it is. When my children play with a team I expect them to learn understanding, compassion, dedication, encouragement, loyalty with an ever abiding faith that no matter the outcome YOU make a difference! Sportsmanship.

In life I don't want to raise jumpers. I don't want to raise quitters. I don't want to raise children who are always looking to another "place" where they think thier joy and happiness will reside. Those attributes are detrimental to LIFE and especially the Christian Life. If the ship is sinking I want my children to be strong paddlers, strong arms scooping water, I want loyal hearts. There will be so many times in my life and the life of my children that they will be caught on sinking ships. I do not want them to drown, but I do want Macgyver attitudes. I want the strength of character that say, "I can make a difference". Unfailing faith, that's what I want for my children.

I know that doesn't seem like our kids should get all that from sports, from a game. But I totally believe they GET all that and MORE from games. The game of life is not so much unlike football. I am not concerned nearly as much about the equipment as I am the heart. I am not saying I will send them out un-equipped, but to me it's the difference between a beautiful leather bound Bible and a paperback version, BOTH do the same thing. Prestige is not what I am in search of for my children. If we raise our children to have loyal loving hearts they will always be winners and in the end they will have the ultimate goal.