We were made in the image of God...to love

Sport is impossible to play without other people.

Even if you compete in an individual sport, you will have some form of support team around you as well as those you are competing against.

As those made in the image of God, we were made to be in relationship with others; we were made to love.

Even Rory McIlroy, a golfer who so often plays for himself, expressed how much he enjoyed team golf in the Ryder Cup:

"It is the most special and unique golf tournament we have, period. There's nothing better than celebrating a win with your teammates.”

In Genesis 1, we see God say:

“Let us make humanity in our image, in our likeness.”

From the beginning of time, God, as Father, Son, and Spirit, has been in relationship. Just as he is naturally creative, he is naturally relational.

What does this mean for us as those made in his image? We see it in Genesis 2:18 as Adam and Eve are told that relationships are a crucial part of life:

“It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Adam and Eve are to combine their talents to build community as they look after God’s world. Human beings image God in that they need to be in relationships.

We need friends, and we need family. It is deeply human to have relationships. We all know this, don’t we? That to be alone is fine, but to be lonely is terrible.

Even Jesus, as one who lives perfectly in the image of God, surrounded himself with others – outworking his mission with the help of many disciples and finding himself blessed by their friendship.

We can then hear the agony in Jesus’ words on the cross as his eternal relationship with the Father was broken as he took on the sin of the world. The anguish of broken relationships is something we have all experienced to a degree.

So, when we think about our sport, we can then think about all the bonds we find there. The exhilaration of a great moment in a team sport or an individual sport when you win a race, and your coach is there to see it, or your parents are watching in the crowd when you slip to agonising defeat and are there to comfort you.

Think also of all the sports played and the number of people involved in them – from the backroom team to those on the pitch or the track. Sport, even when it is at its most individualistic, is always a team sport.

So what?

Today as you play, give thanks for those you are playing with and against. Give thanks for those who make it possible for you to compete.

When God created Eve for Adam, his delight was palpable. Will you celebrate the gift of others in your sporting competition today?

How can you go out of your way today to express your gratitude and love for those you are competing with and against? This may be a particular challenge for those in individual sports where the focus is so directly on you and your performance.

We were made in God’s image to love, go and delight in the gift of others today.

Prayer

Dear Father,

Thank you for making us in your image as people who are made to be in relationship with one another.

Thank you for how sport fosters this so well – how strong friendships are formed and how sport causes us to remember our reliance on others. Help us today to delight in the fact that all sport involves others and help us celebrate that today and deliberately be on the lookout for others we play with and against today to bless them and serve them,

Amen.