Friday, July 29, 2005
Winners?
Well my tennis team from Huntsville is going to state!! That is pretty exciting. I have been a part of four championship teams in my two years of playing tennis. I might get used to that!
Last night we were talking about how tennis is not as much fun when the “winning” becomes the overbearing factor in each match. What happened to just getting out and playing for fun? I have told my husband that I have not yet developed the “win at all cost” attitude. I know that it holds me back some, but I am not sure when I see it displayed in others that I really want it! One of the guys I play with sometimes was telling me the other night that the hardest thing to learn was “how to win”. I think he is right, and I know it is important, but sometimes, I just want to have fun.
This morning I was thinking about this in relationship to our “churches”. Have we not become competitive? We want a bigger building, a larger membership, the “best” preacher, and the most complete programs….on and on it goes. Don’t tell me that we don’t think this way; it is obvious in the way we do things. We have turned our churches into another way to compete. Now obviously, this is not all together a “bad” thing. But we have to ask ourselves, have we taken the fun out of worshipping God and fellowshipping with our brothers and sisters? Is everything we do a means to an end instead of just doing it out of our love for Jesus? Of course the stakes are a lot higher than making it to a State championship and the prize is awesome!! But I think we must take care to protect our Christian life from being just another competition. We rob ourselves when we take the joy out of our walk.
Last night we were talking about how tennis is not as much fun when the “winning” becomes the overbearing factor in each match. What happened to just getting out and playing for fun? I have told my husband that I have not yet developed the “win at all cost” attitude. I know that it holds me back some, but I am not sure when I see it displayed in others that I really want it! One of the guys I play with sometimes was telling me the other night that the hardest thing to learn was “how to win”. I think he is right, and I know it is important, but sometimes, I just want to have fun.
This morning I was thinking about this in relationship to our “churches”. Have we not become competitive? We want a bigger building, a larger membership, the “best” preacher, and the most complete programs….on and on it goes. Don’t tell me that we don’t think this way; it is obvious in the way we do things. We have turned our churches into another way to compete. Now obviously, this is not all together a “bad” thing. But we have to ask ourselves, have we taken the fun out of worshipping God and fellowshipping with our brothers and sisters? Is everything we do a means to an end instead of just doing it out of our love for Jesus? Of course the stakes are a lot higher than making it to a State championship and the prize is awesome!! But I think we must take care to protect our Christian life from being just another competition. We rob ourselves when we take the joy out of our walk.
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WOW--Congratulations Donna!
Yes, we can get competitive in our churches--just spills over from our human nature, I suppose--but much of the time it puts the focus on us and winning, not the cross and Jesus--and that can't be good!
Will you be going to Nationals soon??
JB
Yes, we can get competitive in our churches--just spills over from our human nature, I suppose--but much of the time it puts the focus on us and winning, not the cross and Jesus--and that can't be good!
Will you be going to Nationals soon??
JB
Congratulations! I didn't know you were in Huntsville... my sister lives there. :o) Or do you just drive to H'ville to play tennis?
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