Saturday, October 17, 2009

Personal Best or Personal Beast?!

I realized quickly when my children were younger that sports and activities have the power to do much DAMAGE or much GOOD depending on your ATTITUDE. When my children began organized sports and even non-competitive hobbies, it was not uncommon for parents to accuse coaches, refs, and umps, and get very upset if their children had calls against them or didn't get asked to start or play certain positions, etc. They openly compared their children with the other children (right in front of them I might add!).

I LOVE sports because of the GOOD it can do for us and our children; however, if you are not careful, it can do JUST AS MUCH DAMAGE AS GOOD.

Here are just a FEW things we teach our children by our attitude concerning sports WE are involved in AND they are involved in:

*Respect for authorities' perceptions, whether we agree or NOT.

*How to accept themselves if they give their best, regardless of whether they are "all stars" or not.

*How to have fun doing a variety of things even if you AREN'T "all star" material in all things!

*How to encourage others to do their best and NOT COMPARE our performance against them to make them feel inferior OR superior (there will ALWAYS be someone BETTER than you and someone WORSE than you – the fun in your performance should NOT be to push it in someone's face that they finished behind you or lift them up because they finished in front of you!)

*How to work as a team.

*How to support people in "healthy competition".

*Play the best you can without making your self image based on performance.

*Have fun working out!

Be careful you don't use sports and activities to COMPARE yourself with another person. It is detrimental to good character and healthy self image to feel that your performance is based on how you exceed your friends' OR to feel that others are measuring their performance on how they compare to you.

“For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.” (2Cor 10:12 KJVS)

“Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips. (Prov 27:2 KJVS)

“Love from the center of who you are; don’t fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.” (Rom 12:9-10 MESSAGE)

“Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.” (Rom 14:13 KJVS)

“Let us not become vainglorious and self-conceited, competitive and challenging and provoking and irritating to one another, envying and being jealous of one another.” (Gal 5:26 AMP)

“That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.” (Gal 5:26 MESSAGE)

Challenge: BE CAREFUL of your attitude while participating in sports and activities YOURSELF or when your children do! Be sure you are feeding attitudes for a healthy self image and having FUN and NOT to "measure yourself" or your children against others!

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