No Losers
I have learned through the years that one of the great aspects of being a Christian is the fellowship we experience when we participate together in sports. Did you know that baseball is a huge sport in Nicaragua? Did you also know that Rivers of the World (ROW) has two baseball teams in that Central American country? We have the men’s and the women’s Monkey Point Stars.
On a recent trip to Monkey Point, Nicaragua I was blessed enough to be in the village when they hosted a baseball game with one of the neighboring villages. The Monkey Point Stars won 2-0. The game was called in the fifth inning because of a tropical storm! Other than that, we won! Watching the ROW team was so much fun. The players wore red and blue button up, short-sleeve shirts with the words, “Monkey Point” boldly displayed across the front of the jersey. They wore the standard white baseball pants and a red and blue baseball cap featuring the words, “ROW” in white.
The most exciting part of watching the game was witnessing how everybody celebrated after the baseball game, whether they were the winning or losing team. Let me encourage you to check out the ROW web site to see the latest pictures of the Monkey Point Stars. Batter up!
On a more serious note, in this game of life in which we are all participants, Christians must always remind themselves to put others first above their own interests. Whether we are playing competitive sports, are striving to excel in school or working diligently to do our best at work, we must not think too highly of ourselves, but instead, we must be sensitive and compassionate to the needs of others.
Paul provides instruction in Philippians 2:3-4 about placing others first, which is very applicable for our lives today:
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
