Sports on Sunday

Today I'm sitting at home while "my boys" are out playing a soccer game. I call them "my boys" because I have been there coach now for three years but my son has been on the team for six years. They truly are my boys and I love them. It is killing me being home not knowing how they are doing. I watch the clock and think of them.

Why am I not there with them? Well, I keep the Sabbath Day holy and therefore I'm not out there coaching today, the Sabbath. It pains me to no end. To make matters worth I have five other children on the team who believe in keeping the Sabbath Day holy as well, so the team is down five kids (one is mine). That means my team is down to 10 players, one short of a full team.

I was a young athlete myself and had to make the decision of playing on Sunday as well. A few times I played on the Sabbath and I didn't like it, but God didn't strike me dead. But I don't look upon those days as good days, even when we won the championship. This is a hard thing for kids to make the choice of and it is a crying shame they have to make it.

How do you tell you children to keep the Sabbath Day holy when there are role models out there breaking them and reaping great rewards. Every LDS kid I knows who has faced this will bring up the name of Steve Young, the San Francisco 49er's famous quarterback. How do you explain that to you young son. How about Dale Murphy? He was converted while in the Majors and went on to be a Mission President. What do you say to a young son in tears when he finds out his team is out of the tournament because of a loss? How about all the other many LDS athletes who play on Sunday?

I use to use the line, "but that is their job." Just like a doctor doesn't plan on working on Sunday, but I didn't plan on getting sick or injured on Sunday either. Sometimes we have to pull the mule out of the ditch. But is an athlete pulling a mule? So if it is a job, what about all those years prior to it being "their job" when they played on Sunday?

With all these thoughts running through my head my one question is, "Where are all the blessings for all the Sabbath Days my family has kept holy?" What are the blessings? My team has yet to win on Sunday.

I'm sure the blessings are there, but today with a heavy heart for "my boys" and a very hard fought game that came up one goal short, I'm not sure I see them.

Editor's note: I have a huge amount of faith that end the end we will be rewarded for our faithfulness in keeping the commandments, and I will continue to obey.