We’re now only three days away from the beautiful game of soccer being played on the world’s biggest stage—the World Cup! A lifelong U.S. soccer fan, I was so mad when Uncle Sam’s team didn’t qualify. But now, I’m not so disappointed. Why? It’s not because the World Cup is almost here and the US team would have been overshadowed anyways by more prominent soccer powers such as Italy, France, Brazil, Spain, etc. It’s because I was watching the US men’s team play this past Saturday wearing rainbow-colored numbers on the back of their jersey. You guessed it. It’s gay pride month and our national team was showing their pride.
Now, I don’t have a problem with a gay player playing on the US national team. But, I do have a problem with our national team promoting such a lifestyle. As the political debates have heated up over the past couple of years, so has every other arena of life. Politics have spilled over into the sports world and ESPN, the NFL, and the NBA’s true colors have come out. As a lifelong sports fan, this has been upsetting for me. Why? Because sports has no business being in politics.
With the Supreme Court recently allowing states to legalize sports gambling, sports will become increasingly tainted. In the future, sports as clean, innocent, pure fun could itself become a pastime. Leave it to man to take a good thing and ultimately destroy it. We’ve been doing it since the beginning of time when Adam first sinned in the garden. The fall of man has affected everything, including sports.
I first noticed pride month being celebrated by the United States Soccer Federation last year in the month of June when the women’s national team was forced to wear the rainbow. Thankfully, a player by the name of Jaelene Hinkle stood up for her beliefs and quit the team. Ironically, Hinkle’s club team was the North Carolina Courage. Hinkle posted on her Instagram account a picture of a white cross in a red background and said,
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- jaelenehinkleJesus didn’t come to save those who already believed in Him. He came so that the lost, rejected, and abandoned men and women would find Him and believe.
I believe with every fiber in my body that what was written 2,000 years ago in the Bible is undoubtedly true. It’s not a fictional book. It’s not a pick and choose what you want to believe. You either believe it, or you don’t. This world may change, but Christ and His Word NEVER will.
My heart is that as Christians we don’t begin to throw a tantrum over what has been brought into law today, but we become that much more loving. That through our love, the lost, rejected, and abandoned find Christ.
The rainbow was a convent made between God and all his creation that never again would the world be flooded as it was when He destroyed the world during Noah’s time. It’s a constant reminder that no matter how corrupt this world becomes, He will never leave us or forsake us. Thank you Lord for your amazing grace, even during times of trial and confusion.
Love won over 2,000 years ago when the greatest sacrifice of all time was made for ALL mankind. ❤💜💛💚💙
Praise God for Hinkle’s courage! Can you imagine playing soccer your entire life so you could make the national team only to have to quit because your “free” nation forces you to endorse values that go against your faith and heritage?
Jesus promised Christ-followers they would be persecuted because the student is not above the master. I write this post to inspire you to share Hinkle’s story, but also to share with your students the reality of being a Christian in the USA. We need to expect persecution, but we also need to stand up for Jesus when it comes our way. We need to be grace-filled and gracious in facing opposition. I think Hinkle does this in her post. She doesn’t call names. She just lifts up the Name that is above every other name.
I won’t go as far to say that the United States failure to make the World Cup this year is a sign of God’s judgment on the USSF. But maybe there is a message for all of us in this: You’ve got to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything. Let’s be courageous and stand up for Jesus!