See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. – 1 John 3:1

I can assume most of you have been playing your sport for quite a long time. Even long before you played organized sports, you were a child on the playground or in the backyard playing with a ball. The reality is that being a child means playing in some way or another. In fact, we find in our relationship with God this reverse effect of becoming a child once again and forevermore. Instead of a process of becoming more independent, our faith journey is actually a process of becoming more dependent on our Father. It’s less about being like an adult and more about living as a child of God.

When I imagine a child playing, I see a child who is free, joyful, and unafraid; a child having fun. There is a sense of wonder and joy about them. They aren’t concerned with failing or fearful of making a mistake. They certainly aren’t weighed down by what other people think. Why is this the case? I am convinced its because they trust their guardian nearby. The child isn’t trying to be independent, but is completely dependent on their guardian. In the end, their guardian’s presence secures and frees them to be a child, to play.

Unfortunately, we tend to lose this sense of play in sports. The older we get the tendency is to forget why we originally played sports in the first place – the seriousness takes the joy out of it. Furthermore, we don’t take our identity as a child of God on the field with us. But what if you took this truth with you into your game? What if you embraced being a child of God and trusted your ever-present Guardian ? Don’t be mistaken. Playing like a child doesn’t mean you are unfocused or careless about what you are doing. Rather, when we play as loved children of God, we are freed to take the focus off ourself and those opinions around us, so that we can joyfully play the game to the glory of our Father.

  • Meditate on what it means to be a child of God.
  • Ask God to give you faith and belief that you are His child.
  • Pray that you would play like a child in light of His presence and love for you.

Pre-Game Playlist: