You might have heard the Bible verse where Jesus tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves. This can be easy to do when our neighbors are our friends, but it’s so much harder to do when they are people who aren’t “cool,” people who are mean to you, or even our opponents on the field.
Jesus was the perfect example of someone who loved those who were hard to love — tax collectors (Luke 19), adulterers (John 7), and even those who killed him (Luke 23).
There are so many ways that we can show God’s love through our interactions with teammates, opponents, coaches, and umpires. We can tell our teammates “Good job!” when they get a hit or make an out. We can listen to our coaches as they teach us to get better at fielding. We can congratulate our opponents on a well-played game. We can thank our umpires for donating their time.
How will you show God’s love to those around you this week?
TRY IT AT HOME THIS WEEK: View the Love Fruits of the Spirit handout to see some ways you can try this at home with your kids or on the field with your players.