I'm a sports fan, but this is ridiculous

When I was in college I had a part time job at a pizza parlor.  We had a big screen TV in the dining room.  A few months into my employment there it was time for the Winter Olympics.  They were being held in Lake Placid, New York.  (That shows you how old I am).  The television was always tuned to the Games.  Any time the doors to the restaurant were open, the TV was tuned to ABC, the network that hosted that year.

One night a rather obnoxious customer came in and complained loudly that the television was tuned to "sports."  She could not imagine why anyone should be interested in who could swoosh down a mountain faster than anyone else, or why it mattered who could speed skate around in circles more quickly.  She all but demanded that we change the channel to some prime time drama (as if that were way more important.)

I wanted to argue with her.  I am a sports fan to begin with, but I tried to appeal to the customer's patriotism.  It's not just about the sporting event, I reasoned, but about American pride.  

She wasn't impressed.

Today I learned of a sport that even I think is a waste of time.  It is called shin-kicking, and it has apparently been played in England since 1612.  The sport requires that two opponents kick each other in the shins until one of them falls to the ground.  The aim is to weaken an opponent by kicking his or her shins; once the legs have been weakened, a competitor may throw an opponent to the ground off balance over a leg, provided that the grasp of the shoulders is kept.  A successful throw involves unbalancing the opponent in the course of a kick.  It does not involve kicking an opponent to the ground, nor pushing the opponent to the ground.

Contestants must wear long trousers or tracksuits and may cushion their shins by using straw, which is provided at the venue.  They will be provided with white coats, representing the traditional shepherd's smock.  Footwear may be sneakers, shoes, or soft toed (i.e. non reinforced) boots.  Wearing any steel-toed will get you disqualified from the match, and barred from any future events.

One more thing:  The umpire or referee is called the "stickler".  If the stickler deems that the kicker has made an intentional trip, the throw goes to the opponent.  The stickler's decision is final.

Have you ever heard of a more useless game?

It reminds me of the testimony of Paul in Acts 26.  He described himself as a man on a mission--a man with the power of the state, the purpose of his convictions, and people behind him who believed in him.  Yet God met him where he was and stopped him in his tracks.  The Lord overpowered him with light, knocking him to the ground.  From his prostrate position, Paul heard the voice of God question his core beliefs.  "Why are you persecuting me?" God asked.  "It's hard for you to kick against the goads."

How would you like to hear God Himself tell you that you are wasting your time, even though you think you are doing the Lord's work?  God's message to Paul was that his mission was not only useless, but counter-productive.  Paul was not hurting God by kicking against the goads, but he was hurting himself.  

The word that Paul uses for "goad" or "prick" is also used in the New Testament to mean "sting".  1 Corinthians 15:55 says "The sting of death is sin."  Here Paul uses the same word for sting as Luke used for goad in Acts 26.  The sting of a bee or scorpion is used as a deadly weapon.  An iron goad is also used as a weapon, but is effective only if you propel yourself against it.  Kicking against the goad is a figure of speech meaning to offer vain and perilous or ruinous resistance.

Would you enter into a shin-kicking contest?  Not if you're smart.  In the same way, let's not make it our purpose to oppose God.  No matter how hard you work or how good you get at it, opposing God's plan and purpose in your life is not only a waste of time, but also detrimental to your health and well-being.

Also, the role of Stickler reminds me of the Pharisees that Jesus warned against.  They were sticklers for the rules and regulations of the Law of Moses.  Jesus didn't go along with their interpretation of Scripture, and definitely did not think that they practiced what they preached.  He called them hypocrites.  Please don't be a Stickler.

In Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" you may recall the description of the Man with the Muck Rake, the man who could look no way but downward, with the muck rake in his hand; who was offered a celestial crown for his muck rake, but who would neither look up nor regard the crown he was offered, but continued to rake to himself the filth of the floor. In "Pilgrim's Progress" the Man with the Muck Rake is set forth as the example of him whose vision is fixed on carnal instead of spiritual things. Yet he also typifies the man who in this life consistently refuses to see aught that is lofty, and fixes his eyes with solemn intentness only on that which is vile and debasing.

Imagine being the Stickler in a Shin-Kicking contest, always looking down, pointing out when the "contestants" do something wrong.  He can do nothing else.  Don't be a Stickler.  Look up.  Be encouraging.  Engage with people.  It's what Jesus did.