(April) The WIN that counts

On my way to work this morning, I was listening to a sermon message a guest speaker preached at Shepherd a couple years ago. In his message, was a reference to Jeremiah 9:23-24 where Jesus commands us to let go of our pride and boast about knowing God and his love for us. Later in the day, and very unexpectedly, Pastor Josh asked me to offer my thoughts to you about this winter softball season, our team and my involvement with our sports ministry. I was humbled. Then I remembered the scripture I had heard this morning and laughed. God has a sense of humor. Hearing God’s word from Jeremiah this morning was no accident - God was preparing my heart to share His love with you now. 

Before the season started, I knew I wanted to be more than a coach to my team. As leaders in this sport ministry, we are encouraged to lead by example, we are to be Christ-minded and re-minded that in all we do on and off the field, we do for the glory of God. With this guidance, I prayed for the courage and boldness in declaring my love for Christ and my hope of salvation for each member of my team and everyone else that had been reached through this ministry.

I brought my “and ONE” in with me this season and with the exception of one other friend, everyone else on our team was ‘drafted’. We had our challenges like every other team did, including lineup surprises and persistent injuries, but we managed to squeak into the playoffs. We never met for practice or the cages. We made some really great plays along the way, some not-so-great, and we were blessed with some incredible Cinderella moments too. I was so proud to be part of a group of people that had the hearts, attitudes and fellowship that our team had. It is not lost on anyone that your attitudes shined brightly in every inning of every game. Thank you, Supernatural! You made it very easy to be your captain.

Winning this championship however, was not the victory I was looking for as a coach this season. I was motivated with a spirit of prayer and fellowship, and by God’s grace, I was courageous in my message. Very early in the season, I started to see a different kind of victory before the championship was ever in our sights. I thought my team was calling to RSVP for games – they were calling with prayer requests. We had one person who never came to a game - I never met her face to face - but she emailed me about Life Groups at church. I would send reminders that we were short players for game time, and I would get responses back thanking me for the prayers and scripture I shared with the team that week. This is the kind of victory we look for as a ministry.

This championship is not a reward in the sense that we have received a prize, although having a Shepherd Sports Championship shirt is pretty exciting. The victory is rather, a reminder of what the true prize really is. By stepping out in faith and being courageous in sharing and receiving the good news of God’s love and faithfulness for us – the true prize is knowing that we are gifted with a remarkable peace that comes with accepting His sacrifice.

I am honored to be part of a ministry that, while we provide an opportunity for friendly competition in sports, our primary purpose remains steadfast – saving souls in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Please be encouraged to continue participating, volunteering and helping to grow our Shepherd Sports Ministry. Invite your family and friends to the field and to church. Almost 10 years ago, a former co-worker and friend invited me to Shepherd, and I will “boast” that her purposeful invitation was God making a way to save my life.

There are many who are lost in this valley, and my heart breaks that they may take as long as I did to let go of their pride enough to walk into the sanctuary of a loving church like Shepherd. But – the good news is that we have this amazing sports ministry, so reach out to them – they may just be willing to walk onto a softball field and happen to find the Love of their life.

I truly believe that it is by sharing your faith in God that all nations can come to know the glory of His inheritance.

In His love, Sonia