OF COURSE I don't idolize football! I'm not even addicted to it, nor prone to making a god of it. I don't even gamble on it! (Anymore…) Cough. So let's be silly for a little bit today in order to get a little bit serious in the end. Here in TZ, football is the national pastime. Sometimes, we don't even shy away from calling it a religion – the professional version is played on Sundays and holidays, it's awarded a place of prominence in our schedules, and it helps us take our thoughts off our circumstantial troubles for a while. And while none of these things are bad in and of themselves, as with most things, there's a line.
1."Is ministry and worship on the Lord's Day compromised by my allegiance to football on Saturday and Sunday?" 2. "Are my emotions all out of whack?" 3."Can my conversation go deeper than football?"
So whenever I catch myself going too deep into football talk around a non-football audience… or letting my day be ruined or made overly glad because a team or a pretend team performed a certain way… or moving my devotional or worship time around in order to pay homage to football first, what I usually tell myself is: Get a life! And that's the key, isn't it? We all have a life to live, and that life is defined by what is at the center, what comes first. Those who claim no belief in a divine being, have a god. Something that takes precedence. Something that gives life drive, purpose, meaning. But there is only one life we can "get" which is also the Source of Life.
So we've established that God and football are both pretty big down here, but which is bigger? Well, I've got a theory. When you attend a church here, you will almost certainly hear people talking about football. Worshipers will gather before the service and discuss in reverent tones what went right and wrong the day before. The pastor will usually reference Saturday's happenings by either praising a team's win or mourning its loss, while oftentimes taking a playful dig at the misfortunes of a rival school. Churches sometimes encourage this blending of faith and fanaticism with "wear your team's colors" day or by having viewing parties for big games — with half-time testimonies, naturally.
Conversely, God doesn't get a lot of play in stadiums, unless a player injures his neck or your team is lining up for a last second field goal. And sometimes God is called upon to do some damning — usually of referees or offensive coordinators — but that's it. There is no "wear your denomination's colors to the game" day. Churches have to schedule around football.
Our "gods" are various and many; yes football is one.....one big one, especially in TZ. But this can be remedied through a personal relationship with God, The Father of light and love. He wants your loyalty and unconditional love. So, we must make a choice, and miss out on some things sometimes. The funny thing about this is that more often than not, God gives us double blessings we weren't counting on. It's not about "not missing football games", it's about not missing out on a special time of worship with your church family, your personal family, and your Heavenly Father! When our national teams are playing some people just have to miss church service to watch the matches, and to me that is putting football first before God. Because even Bible says while the heart of man is that is where he is, so that time your heart is in the football not on God. Frank
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