Sports Teach Kids Bible Lessons on Perseverance
Children Learn the Fruits Faithfulness, Self-control, and Patience
Sep 14, 2009
Children learn Christian and life lessons by participating in sports activities.
In the Bible (Galatians 5:22), the nine fruits of the spirit include love, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control, patience, joy, and peace. By modeling commitment and follow-through, sports teach children about the life lessons of faithfulness, self-control, and patience.
Sports Activities Teach Children Perseverance and Self-Discipline
Many sports lessons involve learning perseverance and self-discipline, helping to teach three important fruits of the Spirit:
- Faithfulness
- Self-control
- Patience
Almost every sport activity teaches kids these characteristics. For example, during soccer games, children grow tired as they run up and down the field. Some of them probably want to take a break, yet, they keep going after the ball - they keep trying. During dance recitals, occasionally a child stumbles, yet the other children continue the routine, guiding the child to find her way again.
Learning Persistence Through Sports Guides Children Later in Life
It's hard to get far in life without perseverance and patience. Life is full of situations where people need to wait, in a society that often advocates an "I want it now" mentality. Likewise, lack of self-control is a huge problem in society - leading to weight gain, alcohol addictions, and crime. Lack of faith - not standing by a belief or a cause - leads people into negative and abusive behavior.
Many people, adults included, could use life lessons in these areas. Imagine if more adults exhibited self-control. Would so many health issues remain in society? Would people argue and fight and start wars? When positive habits are learned at a young age, they stay with a child into adulthood, affecting every choice and even influencing others in a positive way.
Children need to learn how to remain faithful, how to exert self-control, and how to be patient. Sports activities help kids learn these important Christian and life values.
Sports Teach Children to Live By the Spirit, With Faithfulness, Self-control, and Patience
These three fruits of the spirit - faithfulness, self-control, and patience - help children succeed in a world where many people follow a feel-good lifestyle with no consideration for consequences. These valuable life lessons, learned by participating in sports activities, set children up for a realistic future, a future that sometimes involves waiting and trusting. Remaining faithful in all circumstances keeps children and adults hopeful for the future.
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