Honouring God through sport

“God made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.” This is a quote attributed to Eric Liddle, the Scottish athlete celebrated in the film Chariots of Fire. God did not make me fast, nor most of the runners I coach, but I still believe that God is honoured and finds pleasure when His people use their gifts well.

Sport was a large part of my working and social life whilst living in the UK, but when we prepared to leave and serve in the Middle East, I considered it something I would be giving up. It was, for the first 3 years, but then the opportunity arose for me not only to enjoy doing sport but for it to be an integral part of our gospel work here.

"We are watched carefully to see how we live the gospel."

In the country where we serve, there is no inhibition when it comes to talking about religion and it would be hard to find a politician who ‘doesn’t do God’. Sadly though, this has served only to make people more sceptical. There is often a gulf between words and reality. For this reason, whilst we are glad of the daily and weekly opportunities we get to teach the gospel the school was founded on, we know we are watched carefully to see how we live it.

Living out our faith through sport
We seek to do that in the classroom, in the playground, on trips, visiting families and of course through sport. I was asked to take over coaching the running team a couple of years ago and it suited me well: I love running and two of my sons are in the team with a third ‘chomping at the bit’ to be allowed to join when he is old enough!

The use of running metaphors in the Bible show what a great sport it is to teach character and illustrate what it is to follow Jesus faithfully and wholeheartedly. I hope that in the time I spend training the students and going with them to races they see me model the gospel I preach. I hope also that it is clear to them in my life that I am working for a prize that will never perish.

"God is honoured and finds pleasure when His people use their gifts well."

Please pray for me and others like me to make the most of the opportunities we get. Sport enables us to encourage those students who don’t find it easy to succeed academically. It has given me the opportunity to encourage believers and new believers who run in the team; sometimes through just a conversation in the bus as I drive them home after training. Please pray that some who run with me will choose to run the race and will persevere to the end.