I enjoy sports. I enjoy playing and coaching sports with my kids. But life is super busy. With seven children our schedule can easily go bongos. Sometimes it is hard for our kids to make it to their sports games or practices. When we are trying to juggle those schedules I often hear my kids say, “I really want to be there for the game. I don’t want to let my team down.”
Perhaps you have heard similar things from your kids. Or maybe you have been the one to give the speech, “You know when you signed up for this team, you made a commitment, and you can’t just bail out now. Your team is counting on you.” Being a part of a team can be a valuable lesson in commitment and “loyalty.”
But I wonder if we should be applying this same thinking to our participation in our local church? Have you ever been struggling on a Sunday morning, whether or not to go to church…but you were overwhelmed with the conviction “I can’t let my team down! My team is counting on me! I need to do everything I can to be there.” I don’t think a lot people think like this. Perhaps it is because we don’t view our church family where our participation is all that important. After all, the service will go on without us. The programs will go on without us. Right? So why is it so important that I go?
I am praying that my children not only view church as the place they go to worship God and be taught the Scriptures, but also a place where the church family is “counting on them” to love and bless others. They may not run any programs, but God may have a divine appointment for them before, during, or after the worship service…an appointment for them to show love to someone who is lonely, to pray with someone in need, or just give a smile to someone who hasn’t received on in a long time.
Let’s pray that God would give us spirits more loyal and more committed to our brothers and sisters in Christ over and above any sports team!
Check out these free resources to bless and encourage your family