The SBA Way Newsletter Excelling: Going Beyond the Average What does it mean to be a Chris0an athlete? In the past few months we have seen Super Bowl champions, NBA stars, Olympic athletes, and college football na0onal champions give all glory and honor to God aCer incredible performances. They express that without God’s help, they would not be able to accomplish the things they did. So, what does it mean to be a Chris0an athlete? This is a ques0on that most ordinary people would answer by saying that praying before and aCer a game and asking God to help them win is being a Chris0an athlete. Others would say taking a knee in an end-zone aCer scoring a touchdown means that they are a Chris0an athlete. All of those situa0ons may involve Chris0an athletes, but that is not what being a Chris0an athlete is all about. I recently read an ar0cle that explained a Chris0an athlete. I am not sure who deserves the credit for this ar0cle, but it encompasses everything about a Chris0an athlete. It stated, “Being a Chris0an athlete doesn’t mean praying for your team to win. God doesn’t give an edge to those who pray, over those who don’t; hard work does that. Being a Chris0an athlete means compe0ng for Christ, in a way in which you always give your all for Him, and win or lose, you thank Him for the ability and opportunity to play. It means giving all the glory and honor to God, no maOer the outcome, because you trust in His plan for your life.” This ar0cle describes the epitome of the Chris0an athlete. It also reminds me of a story in the Bible in Genesis 24 about a woman named Rebekah. Many of you may know about this story, but it is a good reminder of being a Chris0an athlete and going beyond the average to excel for the glory of God. Many have called this example, the Rebekah Principle. Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for his son Isaac. He sent his servant back to his homeland in search for this woman. As the servant approached the town, he saw several women drawing water from the well, which was customary at the 0me for women to do. The servant approached Rebekah and asked her for a drink of water. Rebekah responded by saying not only can you have a drink, but I will also draw water to feed your camels. What a response from Rebekah! Scholars have pointed out that camels, aCer a long journey, could drink up to twenty or thirty gallons of water per camel. Rebekah not only was going to give this stranger a drink, but she went beyond the average and offered water to his camels, adding almost two or three hours more work. Think about it this way. A woman could only carry roughly five gallons of water at a 0me. She had to lower the bucket into the well, pull it back out, and carry it to the watering trough over and over again. In addi0on, this stranger could have been traveling with close to ten camels. Would you do this for a stranger? The Rebekah principle came about from this event. Leadership experts have stated that today’s philosophy in many organiza0ons is minimum effort for maximum expecta0ons.
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