Finding the spirit to put it all on the line is easy for some and hard for others.
Why is it we think it’s cool when an athlete thumps his chest in a gesture of saying ‘hey I did that, I did that’ just after they scored a basket or made a tackle. We think it’s great when they celebrate with all kinds of “special” gestures for doing their jobs on the sports field.
Then we make fun of athletes, or anyone for that matter, who kneels and prays or points to the heavens. We say how ridiculous people are for thanking God or Jesus Christ.
I’m not a Denver Bronco fan. Never will be. Tim Tebow has been made fun of and talked about because of his homage to God on and off the football field. Tebow is not a prototypical NFL quarterback. Instead of Tebow changing much, the Broncos changed their offense this past season to enhance Tebow’s playing style and it worked enough to get the Broncos to the AFC playoffs.
As with all of us, Tebow has been blessed with talents. God gave Tim Tebow great athletic abilities which in decided to cultivate and use. Some people allow their talents and abilities to dissipate one way or another.
God blessed each one of us with different talents. He gave us the mind to decide what to do with those talents. I get up every day and thank God for what he bestowed on me in the way of abilities.
Sure, I wanted to play sports. Just wasn’t in the plan. Oh, I puttered around a bit — played summer softball and wasn’t bad as a catcher, threw the discus and shot in high school and was average, played a lot of front-yard football which was probably my best sport of all, even got the name killer as a defensive lineman.
I love sports, some more than others. It was clear to me God did not give the athletic talents he did to my brothers. Then I discovered I could write pretty well. I found the love of the English language and how you can tell a story.
So I found another outlet for that sports interest. It’s a twist on that old saying “those who can’t do, teach.” For me it is for those who can’t play sports, write about the games.
Works for me. I’m close to the action. And God gave me the ability to observe and recount that action.
Later at college, I found another talent He gave me — that photographer’s eye.
Both talents needed me to work to improve. The writing came easier. It’s like when I learned to play the trumpet — loved the instrument but struggled to get things started as a fourth and fifth-grade student in music. I had to practice a lot to improve then in two years, God’s musical blessing blossomed for me. I was very good but still practiced two hours a night at home.
Athletes learn and improve their skills during practice. If they choose to work hard — find the spirit to cultivate their blessings — good things will come their way. In a team sport, if each player does his or her job during the game as best as they can success comes.
With two weeks remaining in the regular season for area high school basketball teams, this is the time teams want to be peaking. Substate tournaments open on Feb. 27.
Iola High’s wrestling team ended it regular season and final run in the Southeast Kansas League Thursday at home. The Mustangs have a week to prepare for the regional wrestling tournament at Fort Scott.
To all athletes — find the spirit to put it all on the line in the next few weeks, give your best and develop your talents. Good luck and God Bless!
