What a joy and privilege it is for me to teach your children.
In the gym we have two very important rules - 1. Be respectful and 2. be responsible.
Understanding how to stay healthy through exercise and good nutrition, and developing sports skills are important to our physical education program, but it is all secondary to developing our faith.
Ultimately my goal is for every student to become a faithful and committed follower of Jesus Christ. Sports and physical activity is a great vehicle for journeying on the path towards that goal. As we draw closer to Christ, God uses tests and trials to develop trust in Him. Sports can provide those tests and opportunities to grow towards that goal.
We know from the Bible that someone is a follower of Christ by their fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal.
5:22
-23). The real issue is not trying to develop the fruit listed above, but whether the Spirit of God resides in us. The fruit is a result of our relationship with God. God has charged you parents and we teachers, to “raise-up children in the way that they should go.” We do this by loving them, loving them with appropriate discipline, but also with grace and mercy. This is a challenge that often seems beyond our capabilities, but we must be persistent. Sometimes we have to be the authoritarian Dad or Mom, and at other times the kind Daddy or Mommy.
In the sports world I would like to offer some advice about these two roles. First of all, during a game, let the coach do the coaching. You stay in the Mommy or Daddy role as comforter and encourager. You can work with your child at another time, but be sure to do so in a non-critical way.
Secondly, let the officials do the officiating, even when it appears that they are favoring the other team, because it always appears that way from our involved perspective. Our Christian witness and our example of showing grace towards others is in jeopardy when we act un-lovingly towards anyone. None of us is perfect, not teachers, parents, coaches or officials, but we are commanded to love even our enemies. Modeling that for our children is probably the most important thing that you can do to “raise them up in the way that they should go.”
Go Southtowns Catholic Chargers!