Sports: Something so small can make such a big impact

Have you watched sports and wondered why athletes even participate? Now, you all are probably wondering why I asked such a silly question since I am a basketball player. Well, there is a point behind it, but let's get back to my question. Athletes beat their bodies for such a small thing we call, "Sports". Let's look at some sports and go through the main point of each of them.

Basketball: On offense, you try to get the ball into the hoop. On defense, you defend the basket so the other team will not get the ball into the hoop. 

Football: On offense, you try to get the ball into the end zone and then kick the ball through the goalpost. On defense, you try to keep the other team out of the end zone. 

Soccer: You kick the ball and try to get a goal. 

Baseball: You try to hit the ball as far as you can and get to all the bases. 

Tennis: You hit the ball back and forth until somebody messes up. 

Volleyball: You hit the ball back and forth over a net. 

Track and Field: There is a lot of different things with this sport. Running with a stick, hoisting yourself up over a pole...with another pole, and throwing a heavy ball as far as you can. 

All these sports seem so simple, and yet we give up our time, blood, sweat, and tears for what? A simple sport? Why? Why do we give up so much for something so little? It's because it is something we love. It is something we are dedicated to and we can't picture living without it. Sports are just like our relationship with God. Something so simple as saying a prayer to start a relationship with God and having faith as small as a mustard seed, but we might find ourselves giving up other things because some people or things don't line up with our faith. It may be music, friends, family and we might find ourselves giving up our life for the Lord. Now, there is something I forgot to put in that makes these sports bigger and much more rewarding in the end. The details. Such as basketball, you have to run a lot because the ball is moving non-stop. You have to be ready to go from being on offense to guarding the basket. In football, you have to plow into each other just to get to the person throwing the ball. In soccer, you have to keep control of the ball while having someone trying to get the ball from you. Once you put the details or obstacles in the mix of that simple thing it becomes so much more! Overcoming an obstacle or winning a championship reminds you why you are doing this. Just like sports, we have obstacles in our relationship with God. We are going to be tempted by Satan. We're going to want to become like everybody else in the world again. We'll want to give up, but in the end, after overcoming those obstacles, we will be reminded that God has got this and that nothing is more powerful than Him. No matter what the obstacle, God will always come through and He will always succeed. And that is why we do this.  

 

Since When Did Being Single Become A Bad Thing?!

Okay, so by the looks of the title you guys can already figure out the subject. This article is about singleness: Is it a blessing or a curse? Just to let you know, this isn't just for single people. This is for everybody, because you just never know if you are going to have to face being single. Now, being single is not that bad, really. But if you just got over a breakup or had a friend that you thought they were 'The One' and instead that was not the case at all, then being single probably feels like a deep, dark, and lonely hole in the ground. Don't worry about that feeling. It's only temporary. I had that same feeling at one time, but as I started to come closer to God, go out and do things I've always wanted to do, and achieve some goals along the way, it started to go away. It is, also, the reason why I am writing this article. I thought being single was just the worst thing on earth, and I wasn't even in a relationship. I was almost in a relationship, but I just wasn't ready for that kind of commitment. So, everything stopped from there and my friend and I went our separate ways. I wanted to explain that just in case if I get anybody saying, "Well, you weren't in a relationship, so how would you know how it feels?" No, I was not in a relationship, but I was in a close friendship that was one step away from that.

Now, onto the main part of this article. How 'bout we start in the very beginning when God created man and woman. I bet all of you are thinking, "See! You already have enough evidence right there to show that singleness is a bad thing! God felt so bad for Adam because he was so lonely, that He brought Eve along!" Um, that's a yes and a no. See, Adam was the only one of his kind. Every creature had a partner except him. So, to repopulate the earth Adam needed a partner. But Eve wasn't there just to repopulate the earth with Adam. She was his friend. They were the very first human best friends! I would go through the rest of history, but I think we all know how everything went, so I'll skip that.

Back to the present. Our society today is this: being single is a bad thing. It means something is wrong with you. If a guy/girl is not looking at you or flirting with you, then you are not pretty or handsome enough. If you have been 'Friend-zoned' then that is the biggest insult of human kind. ...Wait, what?! Those are the worst excuses I have ever heard to get into a relationship. But here's the sad truth, this is what we have adopted into our daily lives. The really sad part is that I even believed this. I'm starting to get away from it, but it's two steps forward, one step back.

Why aren't we taking this time of singleness to grow in our relationship with God or going out and accomplishing goals? Why do we say 'Forever Alone' when we should say 'Forever Loved'? All we do is worry about our relationship status on social media instead of our relationship status with God. The music we listen to on the radio is either about breaking up or making up. Why don't we hear music about having fun with friends or driving trucks because we enjoy it? Because that...don't...sell.

Now, here is (as our church says) the simple truth. Singleness is all about your point of view. If you think and see singleness as a positive thing and a blessing, you will trust God more and can focus on your life more. You will also find that you'll have more patience and wait on your special partner. If you look at it as a negative thing, then it will be like playing 'Where's Waldo?' or 'Where's The One?'. It will be full of getting your heart broken just trying to find 'The One'.

So, what's it gonna be? Are you gonna trust God and not worry about being single, or are you ready for another round of 'Where's Waldo?' The choice is yours.