God's Coaching #87

God's Coaching #87

Play ball! Um, well, at least play virtual ball! At this very moment, with a new Major League Baseball season just days away, fantasy baseball leagues are taking shape all over the country. In fantasy baseball, as in other fantasy sports, you are the owner, the general manager, and the coach of a team. You “draft” players at each position and manage the team throughout the season, choosing who plays and who gets benched each day. The better that player does in real life, the more points your fantasy team scores. For instance, your fantasy team will score a lot more points with a batter who is hitting .350 with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs than one hitting .250 with 10 homers and 35 RBIs.

But fantasy sports aren’t limited to baseball. Fantasy football starts in late summer as the NFL season approaches, and the fall brings new NBA and NHL fantasy seasons. There are even fantasy leagues for NASCAR! Fantasy sports are a big deal in America. In fact, a March 2010 article in Time magazine estimated that the fantasy sports industry is worth about $$45 billion annually. That’s right—$4.5 billion!

What’s the Score?

Why are fantasy sports so popular? Here’s a theory: we like to be in control. Fantasy sports let the average fan make decisions like a high-rolling executive of a rich professional sports team. We like the feeling of being in charge and doing what we think is best. That might be okay in fantasy sports, but not in real life. The fact is, we are not in charge. God is.

Sure, God lets us make decisions in our lives. (After all, he didn’t create us to be robots!) But that doesn’t mean we can manage our lives as we see fit. As Proverbs 19:21 says, “You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.” We must never forget that we are under the divine rule of the Lord God Almighty, the Creator of the universe. All our decisions should be made with God’s will in mind. He is fully in control of our lives, whether we know it or not. To think otherwise is, well, a fantasy.

On the Ball

Create a fantasy baseball team by picking one player per position (for pitchers, choose five starters, a middle reliever, and a closer). Keep your picks until the end of the season, then check to see how well your fantasy team would’ve done. It’s a good exercise to show how limited our knowledge and control really are.

Coach’s Comment

You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail. Proverbs 19:21