Taking Back Wednesday Nights

Remember when Sundays and Wednesday nights were off-limits for most things?
Sounds odd to say that aloud, right?

Within our lifetimes there was a period in which some times and days weren’t infringed upon by schools and/or extra-curricular activities. It was widely understood that many of our children (and their parents) would be engaging in religious activity at those times, whether that be worship, gathering for Bible study/prayer meeting, etc. Not that participation was ever 100%, but a comfortable majority of Americans either did so, or respected the choices of those who did.

Talk about not being in Kansas anymore: Drive by the new fieldhouse in Lebanon on a Sunday morning and you’ll see a crowd that dwarfs the attendance of most churches in Boone Co. Some youth football leagues schedule games predominantly on nights previously devoted to Bible study. Travel-ball has become something akin to its own religion, complete with mandatory worship services (i.e. tournaments) which regularly trespass into Sunday with impunity.

And for what? The ever-more elusive “scholarship” and it’s almost never-seen cousin, “professional athlete”? What have we gained by sacrificing diligent religious observance for diligent attendance of social, athletic, and academic activities? Are our kids more fulfilled, more spiritually-minded and better citizens than they were 20-30-50 years ago?

It’s high time we set about “reclaiming our time”, for their sake.

1. The Numbers: Sports vs. Souls

Sports, Band, 4H, Scouts, you name it: There are dozens of different extra-curricular activities which offer much that is positive to our young people. However, when these things are magnified and elevated above spiritual priorities, they instead become hindrances instead of aids in the godly development of our young people.

Take sports for example: Many young people (and their parents), under the impression that they can/will receive an athletic scholarship to play (fill-in-the-sport) at the next level, readily sacrifice worship and Bible study for their sports. Coaches seeking an edge for their teams (and their careers, in some cases) recognize the finite number of days/hours in a week, and therefore must encroach upon times which were heretofore “off-limits”. Parents, eager to fulfill dreams of “making it” (whether it be the child’s or their own), sacrifice time, money, and (as many church services as are necessary) to ensure maximum attendance at all practices and games.

Aside from the spiritual arguments against choosing your sport over your soul, the actual likelihood of success is slim. According to the NCAA, a H.S. football player has a 7.5% chance of playing college football at some level, scholarship or not. Men’s basketball: 3.6%. Softball: 6.3%. Volleyball: 3.9%.

Let’s say your kid is the rare fulfillment of the above statistics, and they “make it”: Then what? You’ve enabled them to “follow their dreams”, but have you enabled them to faithfully follow Christ as Lord? What about the other 90+% of our kids? What have we gained in exchange for all those missed services and studies? We should shudder to think all that we have taught them to do in addition to those “life lessons” they were supposed to have picked up along the way!

Consider a few more statistics:

• What percentage of our young athletes/band members/scouts have souls and were created in the image of God? 100%.
  
• What percentage of our young people will stand in judgment before their Creator? 100%.
  
• What percentage of us as parents will be held responsible by our Creator for fulfilling our mandate to bring up our children “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6.4)? 100%.
  
• What percentage of our children will be saved from “the wrath to come” (1 Th. 1.10) by their jump shot, fastball, completion percentage, or merit badges? 0%
  
• How many scholarships to Heaven are signed on National Signing Day each year? 0.
  
• What percentage of our young people profit from studying the scriptures and spending time around spiritually-edifying people? 100%.

Here’s the thing: Our children learn from our choices as parents. The message are we communicating to our kids when we permit them to miss religious functions for school/sport/hobby/activity/etc. related functions is simple: Church => Religion => God is not important!

(Oh, and while we’re at it: What’s to stop them from repeating or expanding upon those same poorly prioritized decisions as adults???)

Proverbs 22.6 says “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” This is not a hard-and-fast rule, but an important principle: If we train our children early and often to prioritize spiritual growth and development, they will very likely stay on that path.

One final stat: How many of you would trade all the sports/activities/etc. if you knew it would help your child go to Heaven? I hope this too is 100%.

2. Protests and Priorities

If one listens closely enough, you can almost hear it:

“So we’d be better of if we just didn’t play sports or do any activities."
"This is the world we live in now, no use wishing for the ‘good ole days’.”
“You’re just a religious fanatic."
"Missing a Sunday or Wed. night every once in a while never hurt anyone.”

Short Answers: “No, we wouldn’t. I know, & I’m not. Wrong again. How do you know that for sure?”

Long Answer: The preceding isn’t an argument against sports or scouts or band or any other wholesome extra-curricular activity. The same arguments could be made for wrongly prioritizing academic achievement or even advancement in one’s chosen occupation above the Lord and His interests.

Priority is the point. Our Lord taught us to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matt. 6.33), which means we seek FIRST to do what is right, what is holy, what is godly. In the context, Jesus is teaching us to depend on God’s providence and seek first the things of His kingdom instead of worrying and preoccupation with providing for ourselves.

Jesus also taught us to “...lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6.20-21) The priority of the Christian lies in that which is spiritual, heavenly, eternal. Therefore, activities and gatherings to that effect are elevated in importance, while all others are positioned below accordingly.

Let’s see if our priorities are in the right place, shall we?

• Have you obeyed the Gospel of Jesus?
  (If you’re not yet a Christian, start there!)
  
• Have you spent significant time in prayer today?
  (You talk to the people you love most the most, right?)
  
• Which of the two have you done more often this week: read your Bible, or attended/delivered a child to a practice/meeting/game/etc.?
  
• When you do attend games/practices/meetings, do you talk with others about Jesus and His church?

Putting Jesus first means, oddly enough, He must be first!

First in heart, soul, mind, and strength. Schedule too!

3. It's My Kid's Team: What Can I Do?

As parents raising children in a world that is increasingly secular and hostile to religion, we will encounter situations where our children desire to participate in teams/organizations/etc. led by those who do NOT share our religious priorities.

For instance, game & practice schedules are often set without our input (often after fees for playing have been paid). Our kids may have friends in these groups who likewise do not share our faith, and they can apply much leverage to our kids’ feelings about missing team activities. School systems cater to the average student/parent, who is increasingly unbound by religious persuasion.

How can we let our lights shine before men and lead our children in the way they should go while participating in extra-curricular activities?

1. Talk to your kids. You are the primary, secondary, tertiary, and backup teacher for your child. As parents it is our job to teach them both what they should do to please God, and why.
   
   Keep 2 Tim. 4.2 in your mind: “reprove, rebuke, & exhort, with complete patience and teaching”.
   
   This situation has produced a “teachable moment”: Don’t let it go unused! Explain to them, as often as is necessary, why you (and they) are making this stand for the things of God.
   
2. Talk to the coach. This could be the scout leader, head coach, band director, etc. Find out if there is any recourse/remedy to the situation, and explain precisely why you/your young person will NOT be “neglecting to meet together” (Heb. 10.25) with the saints for their sake. The worst they can tell you is “No” (and perhaps even part ways with you and your kid), and in any case you have planted a seed. Do not budge if they do not take kindly to your stand for Christ.
   
3. If it won’t work, leave. Christians have always parted ways with people and organizations that will not permit us to honor Christ with our schedules, our words, and our actions. Don’t give in because you’ve paid the fees: Is it worth jeopardizing your soul, and that of your child?

“Choose this day whom you will serve” (Josh. 24.15)