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March 2010 Mar Magnusen

On this day, you left nothing behind. Your sweat-soaked uniform provides the proof.

As you stand alongside your teammates you can hear the sound of the exuberant crowd cheering. In time, your body will ache, but not now. Not just yet. It will be tomorrow before the cuts and bruises remind you of the painful, hard-fought game. For right now, posters wave and arms remain outstretched in celebration. These are the sights and sounds of victory. Unfortunately, they are not for you. Your supporters are silent and still; they are rocks among the waves of fans who have crashed the field to celebrate with the victors.

As sweat and tears mix and drip from your chin, you stare at the scoreboard, half expecting it to hold the answers to the questions about your derailed dream.

This was it. This was supposed to be the season. All through the preseason the energy and intensity of each practice was incredible, if not remarkable. Something truly memorable had to be transpiring. There were no let-downs, injuries or setbacks, so, with each passing day, your confidence and expectations grew. You expected to do well—to even win it all (or at least come close).

In the end, however, you wound up average. Forgettable at best. All of your hard work and training were barely enough to break even, let alone make it to the postseason. And now, each step you take on your way back to the locker room reiterates this point.

In due course, these thoughts and feelings will pass. But one thing that will remain is your reaction—how you responded to God’s hand on your life during the frustration. It may not seem likely, especially after a disappointing season, but hardship can often function as a better gauge of our relationship with God than success. R.C. Sproul once made this comment about hardship: “What I’m experiencing right now feels bad, tastes bad, is bad; nevertheless, the Lord is using this for my good.”

When it comes to our actions, the Bible makes several references to “bearing good fruit.” (See Matthew 7:16-20; Psalm 1:3; John 15:2-8.) One example in particular is in the Parable of the Sower. In Matthew 13:1-23 (NKJV), Jesus described seeds that were scattered onto four types of soil (the wayside, stony places, thorns and good soil) as a way of revealing a distinct teaching. In this parable, Christ is the Sower, and each of the four soils represents a person and his or her possible response to God’s Word.

This parable is an interesting concept to consider in the context of a subpar sport season. For athletes and coaches alike, it is useful for reflection. Each soil can be used to illustrate the strength of one’s faith and the capacity to bear fruit when confronted with adversity and disappointment. It’s a lesson for all of us to consider no matter how good or bad our teams may be. Because, when it’s all said and done, nobody wins ’em all.

“Each soil can be used to illustrate the strength of one’s faith and the capacity to bear fruit when confronted with adversity and disappointment.”

Soil 1:
The Wayside
The first seeds from the Sower’s hand, we are told, fell by the wayside and were quickly devoured by birds. The wayside was too hard for the seeds to take root even superficially, and thus, the birds (our enemy and his evil forces) were able to snatch them away from the truth. This part of the parable explains those who offer lip-service in regards to God’s message but who fail to understand its meaning—athletes, for example, who may attend church and express interest in Christ’s teachings, but who remain unaffected by them in their actions.

There was a space for the seed in the ground of their life, but the soil was packed down and hardened. Thus, when the seeds didn’t take root and remained unattached, they were easily snatched up by the enemy. In these cases, the outcome of the sports season is a given. Because there is nothing there to generate godliness in an athlete or coach’s life, that person won’t reflect a truly godly response.

Soil 2:
The Stony Place
Next, some seeds fell among the rocks. “…and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away” (Matthew 13:5-6, NKJV). This part of the parable can describe an athlete or coach with initial enthusiasm whose faith quickly withers in the face of hardship. In short, it is a superficial understanding of and response to Scripture. As C.S. Lewis wrote in The Great Divorce, “There are two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘Thy will be done.’”

For coaches or athletes in this scenario, it means that the start of the season begins with great excitement about their faith because the physical training goes remarkably well. This enthusiasm, however, is based on the presupposition that their faith will equal success (i.e. “God gets glory as long as I get glory…”). Once hardship and disappointment set in, their response is to abandon Christ’s teachings because God supposedly failed to live up to their personal expectations.

Soil 3:
The Thorns
Some of the seeds were sowed, but they fell among the thorns and were choked out by the strangling weed. As with first two options, this part of the parable also describes a potential response to hardship.

Jesus described the seeds among thorns as those who hear and receive His teachings, but who allow the “cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches” to choke it out (Matthew 13:22, NKJV). Ironically, these kinds of thorns may turn out to be the very things believed to lead to a successful season: beneficial behaviors such as lifting weights, doing extra drills and studying hours of film. Each can become a thorn if they distract an athlete or coach from the Lord’s calling. In place of Sunday worship, there is weightlifting. In place of Scripture, there is the playbook.

This type of response may be especially tempting after a disappointing season. Rather than taking time to adequately recuperate, a coach or athlete’s training preparations start earlier and last longer. Even worse, they may still believe their faith is strong even though more and more of it is replaced by unending athletic activity. The cycle continues, only this time, the thorns are stronger, thicker and better able to bring on spiritual destruction.

Soil 4:
The Good Soil
The last of the seeds fell on the good soil and yielded a great harvest. “Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown” (Matthew 13:8, NIV). This final part of the parable describes those who hear and understand the Word of God and bear the fruit of His Spirit. Here, unlike the seeds on the rocks, an athlete or coach’s enthusiasm for Christ doesn’t wither in the face of adversity. In good soil, they have both personal vigilance and reliance on God to deny the thorns an opportunity to shade out the light. This fruit-bearing soil reveals the strength that comes from being truly and authentically rooted in God’s Word. When an athlete or coach responds out of their understanding of God’s faithfulness and ultimate good plan, they can be a light of peace and love after a disappointing season. Others can see their eternal hope and perspective and, perhaps, desire it for themselves. Four scenarios. Four completely different outcomes. Each with a unique lasting legacy for the athlete or coach in the middle of the experience.

No, there is nothing sinful about being disappointed when a forgettable season follows a spectacular period of preparation. Displeasure is perfectly natural, and, truthfully, it would be odd to not be disappointed with a mediocre season. There is also nothing wrong about training with intensity and working toward the full utilization of your physical gifts. For the dedicated athlete, this is natural. Where the line gets crossed, however, is when athletics interfere with your spiritual foundation and response to God’s Word.

When it comes to a disappointing season, sports can be an impressive vehicle to connect with communities and share your faith, especially in how you react. The strength of your relationship with God and your faith-based responses to the ups and downs of athletics are important. Not only are these essential to your personal growth but also to the development of the next generation of Christian athletes—the ones watching your every action and reaction.

True, many coaches and athletes may never understand God’s Word or may respond to it superficially. But those who know the truth can have a powerful response to adversity and disappointment when Christ is at the center of their sport and their life.