MLK, Christ, and Sports: How to Live from Your Heart
How do you perceive others?
- By superficial external appearances?
- Or by deep internal qualities that lie underneath?
How do you perceive yourself?
- By your results and performance?
- Or by the values of your character and your heart?
In the spirit of Martin Luther King Day tomorrow, today we are going to talk about how to focus not on the superficial external qualities, but on the deep internal qualities of the heart.
“I Have A Dream”
Tomorrow is MLK Day, and I am reminded of the speech Martin Luther King gave where he said he had a dream where one day people would not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character …
Not by superficial external appearances …
But by deep internal qualities.
Judgments in Today’s Society
In our society today, people are often judged by superficial external appearances:
- Race
- Gender
- Jobs
- Social status
- And so on …
As athletes and coaches, we are often judged by even more superficial external appearances:
- Wins/Losses
- Stats
- How big of a bench press we have
- And so on …
GOD’s Promise to Us
In the Bible, we are told that GOD doesn’t see what man sees.
We may see these superficial external appearances …
But GOD sees the heart, what lies underneath.
May this be a reminder unto us!
To not focus on the external appearances …
But to focus on what lies underneath:
- Your heart
- Your character
- Your values
Focusing on Internal Qualities as an Athlete/Coach
When I look back on my athletic and coaching career, I was often focusing on my external appearances.
As an athlete:
- How many points I scored
- What my shooting percentage was
- How I performed in sprints at the end of practice
As a coach:
- How many wins/losses my team had
- What my plays looked like coming out of time-outs
- Even how animated I looked on the sidelines for crying out loud!!!
But when I reflect on it, what others admired in me most, were not these external appearances …
Rather, they admired me for the internal qualities I embodied:
- My heart
- My character
- My love, passion, and enthusiasm for all my teammates and players
On this Martin Luther King Day, may you be reminded to focus on your internal qualities of your heart, and allow the light of Christ to shine through you in all you do.
Athletes and coaches for Christ, I wish you well on your journey of focusing on the deep internal qualities of the heart, and I send love, gratitude, peace, and blessings to you!
May GOD inspire YOU every step of your way,
Kyle
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