Hi. My name is Cathy and I have a confession to make.
I'm a soccer mom...as well as a basketball mom, cross country mom, and in past seasons of my life, a cheerleader mom, golf mom, dance mom, and a football mom. I guess you can say I'm an All Star Mom! Like the t-shirt says, "Any Game! Any Field! Any Time!" and I'll be there with the gatorade and the team snack! BRING IT!
Not only am I an 'all sport' mom, I'm married to an 'all sport' guy who played basketball, baseball, and even ran cross country at good old Pace High. He also played football when he was younger. He and his best friend even prided themselves on being "Quarterback Killers!" Yes, all you former quarterbacks, Scott LOVED squashing you!
Sports and extracurricular activities play big roles in our lives. There was a time in my life where I thought that it was so very important that my children be involved in sports. I guess that's an understatement. I felt that it was IMPERATIVE that they were intensely involved in sports and extracurricular activities. I was under the delusion that these things not only would lead them to social success but also athletic success. I was so sure that they had to be heavily involved in their sport, play on all of the 'select' teams, and just immerse their lives in the sport in order to play at the high school level. But wait, there's more! I not only wanted them to be ready to play competively in high school, I hoped they would earn an athletic scholarship to college! You know, it isn't a bad deal if they went pro, too! The problem wasn't the desires I had for my kids to be successful in their sport. The problem was the priority that this took in our lives.
"Then there was light." I realized, like the scripture says, our lives are but a vapor. Earthly success is fleeting. I was leading my children in worldly persuits, chasing after the wind. Our family life revolved around the wrong things. Sure, we were believers. Sure we taught our kids about Jesus and Salvation. But our family life wasn't centered on Christ. It was centered on sports.
All too often, it's easy for us parents to place way too much importance on extracurricular (or worldly) persuits and not enough importance on what impacts our children for ETERNITY. We all want our kids have the best and be the best. We all should support our children in this way. However, we must be careful not to sacrifice the spiritual for that which is earthly. You see, it's quite easy for our focus to be shifted off of God. Anything that shifts our focus off of God is a distraction, (and is idolatry if we give it higher priority than God). Distractions are what Satan uses to keep us Christians off task and off mission. Our mission as parents is to raise children up in Christ. So, are you on task? I wanted to share a verse with you that speaks volumes to me as a parent.
"You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me." Exodus 20:5
As parents, God commands us to raise up our children in His Truth, teaching them His Word, sharing with the the Good News of Salvation of Jesus Christ. We are to help them to grow up spiritually as well as physically. We are to discipline them ...a.k.a. DISCIPLE! When we parents prioritize worldly persuits over spiritual, we are in danger of showing 'affection' for other gods and rejecting God's plan for raising our children. As parents, to fail in our spiritual responsibilities to our children is to 'lay our sins' on our children. The consequences for our children could be eternal.
Let's get our priorities straight! Let's make sure our families are in church every week. Let's join a small group and connect with other believers. Let's get our children to Youth and Children's groups on Wednesday nights. Let's pray daily with our family and take time to read the Bible with our children. All are very simple steps, but steps in the right direction.
We love our children and want what's best for them. But God loves them more than we could ever imagine ! He has such wonderful plans for our children...even better than a pro basketball contract. Our children's future begins by making HIM the foundation of our family life!
Grace and peace be with you, my friends! I love you and I'm praying for you!
In His Love, Cathy
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