I grew up in a family of five people. Three of those were guys: my dad and my two older brothers. They raised me to love sports in every sort of way. I was taught to love watching sports, cheering at sports events, playing sports of all kinds (though this faded out as I got older, more awkward and clumsy and more afraid of getting hurt), knowing the rules of different sports and watching sports movies.
There are so many girls that I come across in college who know nothing about sports. It hurts my heart, mostly because that was basically all I knew as a result of growing up in a house with men who love their sports -- seeing as though we got DirecTV so that my dad could watch the sports games he wanted to and for no other reason.
I also come across guys who do not know anything about sports. This is something that totally baffles me. How do you not know what a "first down" is? Why do you not know the signal the officials use when the shot clock runs out? What crosses their mind when they think it is okay to touch the ball with their hands or ask why someone would shave their legs to swim faster?
I realize that there are people in the world who do not have the knowledge of sports that I do, due to the fact that they have not been taught to have an interest in sports.
This gives me a new perspective on things that I do not have an interest in. What would happen if someone had instilled it in me to have a love of something that I know nothing about? That is what the men in my family did with me for years, giving this finished product of a die-hard baseball and basketball fan.
It also gives me more of a passion for things that I do love and have an interest in. What would my life be like if I had not taken piano lessons for four years, which led to playing the flute, which led to playing the piccolo, which led to playing the bassoon, along with singing in the audition-only choir in high school? What if I did not have that love and small talent for music? What would happen if I did not read those books about owls and become somewhat obsessed with the gorgeous creatures? What would I be like if I did not have a passion for God, for Jesus, for the Holy Spirit, for others?
Although it felt like overkill and there were times when I wished that I was at home instead of in the bleachers at a basketball game, I cannot express how thankful I am for the fact that I have this love for sports in my heart. It helps me connect with my family, friends, other sports fans and those who would like to know more about sports. When you love something, you make sure that others know and you want them to have that love for it, too.
That's what we should be doing with our faith. Have so much apparent love for God that we want others to have that same love.
