Prioritizing Family: Lessons from Faith-Focused Athletes
By Mike Arnold
I don’t watch much TV, except for sports. I have been enjoying Netflix’s Full Swing, which follows several different pro golfers around. Episode 2 follows Brooks Koepka & Scottie Scheffler around their respective tours.
What a contrast in how these two men live their lives. Scottie is an open Christ-Follower who intentionally lives out his faith on one of the biggest stages in sports. Sadly, Brooks seems focused solely on Brooks.
I’ve also started watching the Quarterback series on Netflix, which follows NFL quarterbacks Marcus Mariota, Patrick Mahomes, and Kirk Cousins through their 2022 NFL season.
As you watch, it is obvious that Kirk Cousins loves Jesus. As an NFL quarterback, Kirk has played in 142 games and amassed over 37,000 yards and 252 touchdowns.
The amazing thing I learned is that Kirk takes every Tuesday off during the NFL season to spend focused time with his family. This means that he doesn't train, doesn't go to the team's facilities, and doesn't study film or the playbook. Basically, he stops doing anything and everything relating to football.
Even though Kirk remains committed to this sabbath, God allows him to thrive in his profession.
Luke 1:11-20 tells us the account of an angel of the Lord appearing to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist. The angel tells Zacharias that he will have a son “who will be great in the sight of the Lord.”
The angel goes on to describe the ministry of John the Baptist,
“And it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers back to their children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” - Luke 1:17.
This angel of the Lord quotes from Malachi’s prophecy given 500 years earlier,
“He will turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and strike the land with complete destruction.” - Malachi 4:6.
In our performance-based culture, men and women sacrifice time with their families to pursue their careers and other interests.
In the book, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard” is number two. We all need to work to provide for our families and to help those in need. However, we also need to be intentional about protecting the precious time with our families.
I love The New Living Bible’s paraphrase of 1 John 2:15-17,
“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave...”
How intentional are you about protecting time with your family? Let’s commit to doing what pleases God and to being intentional about focusing our hearts on our family and not on the world that is fading away.
What a contrast in how these two men live their lives. Scottie is an open Christ-Follower who intentionally lives out his faith on one of the biggest stages in sports. Sadly, Brooks seems focused solely on Brooks.
I’ve also started watching the Quarterback series on Netflix, which follows NFL quarterbacks Marcus Mariota, Patrick Mahomes, and Kirk Cousins through their 2022 NFL season.
As you watch, it is obvious that Kirk Cousins loves Jesus. As an NFL quarterback, Kirk has played in 142 games and amassed over 37,000 yards and 252 touchdowns.
The amazing thing I learned is that Kirk takes every Tuesday off during the NFL season to spend focused time with his family. This means that he doesn't train, doesn't go to the team's facilities, and doesn't study film or the playbook. Basically, he stops doing anything and everything relating to football.
Even though Kirk remains committed to this sabbath, God allows him to thrive in his profession.
Luke 1:11-20 tells us the account of an angel of the Lord appearing to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist. The angel tells Zacharias that he will have a son “who will be great in the sight of the Lord.”
The angel goes on to describe the ministry of John the Baptist,
“And it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers back to their children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” - Luke 1:17.
This angel of the Lord quotes from Malachi’s prophecy given 500 years earlier,
“He will turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and strike the land with complete destruction.” - Malachi 4:6.
In our performance-based culture, men and women sacrifice time with their families to pursue their careers and other interests.
In the book, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard” is number two. We all need to work to provide for our families and to help those in need. However, we also need to be intentional about protecting the precious time with our families.
I love The New Living Bible’s paraphrase of 1 John 2:15-17,
“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave...”
How intentional are you about protecting time with your family? Let’s commit to doing what pleases God and to being intentional about focusing our hearts on our family and not on the world that is fading away.