I don't hate the game itself (although I doubt I will ever pay to watch it played), but I do hate its impact on families in church. For some reason most club soccer teams play on Sundays. I have been told by parents that if you want your child to play soccer when they get to high school that they have to play club soccer. I have also been told that playing sports in high school is a really big deal, as a child needs extracurricular activities on a resume.
My reply to all of this is- “So what?”
Sundays is the day when most churches meet (there are exceptions). It is the day when families worship together, when there are the most opportunities for service. Nevertheless, when push comes to shove, when faced with a choice of church or youth sports, youth sports usually wins.
What lesson do we teach our children when temporal things are so important? When God is what we do when there is nothing else that demands our attention?
The story of King David and Araunah from 2 Samuel 24 contains a timeless lesson. David was instructed by God to build an altar at the place where Aruanah had a threshing floor. When David arrived, Araunah declared that he would gladly donate what he had for the king's sacrifice, “Everything O king, Araunah gives to the king!” were his words.
David's reply- “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing.” Pretty much says it all. A true commitment to faith will be inconvenient and costly at times. If our faith doesn't cost us anything, then what is it worth?
This begs the question, "What are we unwilling to give up for God?"