Friday, January 22, 2016

Sports

Or 'sport' as the Brits call it, is something that I cannot wrap my mind around in any effective way. I know it constitutes entertainment for many people. They will buy season tickets to be physically present just to watch their favorite team play or they will watch it for hours on television at home. I just do not understand the fascination with it. I have actually enjoyed playing various games and participating in competitions, but watching it is just boring.  It is, to my mind, an incredible waste of time. Watching multi millionaires with hormone issues playing grab ass in pursuit of a ball is just ridiculous. Most of what passes for sport is not sport anyway. It is just a game. As John Irving pointed out in "The World According to Garp", if it involves the use of a ball, it is not a sport, it's just a game.

Activities like running, swimming and wrestling are true sports. These involve one on one competition as well as competition against one's self. These are the greatest measure of a man's athletic prowess - continually bettering one's own numbers is the healthiest competition of all. This is true from both a physical and spiritual point of view.

I can remember wrestling in gym class in high school. It was fun. I do mean fun. I never cared much whether I won though. I enjoyed the process. I hate to admit it, but it was a lot like foreplay to me. This should be understandable if you know me and I'm sorry if I offended you by being out front like that, but I did like it.

Even so, watching wrestling does nothing for me. It is like watching paint dry...that might have more interest for me. Whatever.

These days I wrestle with God. I know I will never win, but I know He loves me and He would never hurt me in any spiritual way. He is gentle.

I like to teach others how to do this, mostly because there is so much to learn from the process and I do enjoy watching others grapple with their Maker. It is the single best way to get to know Him.

Get out there on the mat with Him. He's tough, but you will learn.