I don't know what got me thinking about high school last night.
I was so disjointed from my family most of my life. Not really their fault. Not really mine. Even if there was bad stuff going on, it has been past the time to go back and dwell there. My parents and I are in a good place.
Anyway, because I felt so uncomfortable at home, I joined every sport and club in school. I left early in the morning to go to the library to read before school started. Oh how I love the library. I stayed after school for meetings and sports.
And boy do I love sports.
It got me thinking how sports are not just about challenging yourself, but about bringing people together.
Even if you are not the one playing, just watching.
There seems to be a big we-have-so-much-in-common, even when all you have in common is you like the same football/baseball/hockey/basketball/whatever team.
I remember one day, as a lowly freshman who just wanted to melt into the background and survive, I wore my much-begged-for-for-Christmas Steelers t-shirt. Didn't think much about it. But it produced a great friendship that would have never have happened unless I was wearing that shirt. Anthony looked at me as though I just appeared out of no where and said,"You like the Steelers??!!?"
Being from Jersey, it was either the Jets or Giants.
But of course I did!! We got to talking and the next thing we knew, though there was truly nothing we had in common except the Steelers, we developed a 4 year friendship that took us through school work, encouraging each other through our own sport struggles and victories, dealing with relationships ( no we never dated, we had something better than that) , me being a punk and liking 'weird' music he would constantly laugh about, and him being a jock, and so typical, is was just a life waiting to be mocked. By me. lol.
We certainly had a friendship that confused the daylights out of everybody in school.
I wonder where Anthony is today.
No matter where he is, I can tell you this...I know he is still a Steelers fan. And should I see him one day, I bet the first thing we talk about are the Steelers. Then we will get into family and life.
It seems as though faith is suppose to bring people together like that. And it does for the most part. Except we get so off kilter about our faith, in a way that doesn't exist in sports. Probably because we think we have to be right, as opposed to holy. That doesn't happen in sports.
Those of you who live in HIM, don't let sports be better at life than your faith. Remember these are brothers and sisters in HIS Grace, just like you. Can you call someone out on their sin? Sure. What kind of jerks would we be if we didn't. But when you start on arguing about your personal excuses, well, you already lost the argument. If its not all about Jesus, it is not worth dishonoring HIM by dragging HIM into our excuses.
That being said.
Go Steelers!!!
And seek HIM. Deeply.
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