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The spiritual heights of sports

As the 2024 Summer Olympics open and the world celebrates fantastic athletic feats, we can elevate our approach to spectatorship (or participation) by watching for how God is being expressed in the events.

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Are sports simply “fun and games”? That’s certainly how they can feel when we’re gathered in stadium seats or competing on a field. Maybe we’re cheering on our favorite team; perhaps we’ve achieved a personal best in a game.

But this sort of excitement and accomplishment can feel temporary, maybe even frivolous, at times. And then when our side doesn’t win or, worse, there’s a buzz about cheating allegations or an athlete gets injured ... well, there’s certainly no fun to be found there.

We might wonder if there’s a way to take our participation higher. The articles below, which we’ve selected from the archives of The Christian Science Publishing Society, show that all the joy, discipline, intelligence, cooperation, and ability expressed in athletics come straight from God, eternal Spirit, and they shine for the glory of God. Grasping this spiritual perspective brings greater satisfaction and safety to sports.

“Freedom and joy in running” describes the refreshment and energy we gain when we turn our focus away from a material view of ourselves to the limitless, spiritual nature of God and His creation.

“Prayer when a player goes down” explores how, as the offspring of God, we always express God’s spiritual qualities – and understanding this can bring protection and quick healing to injuries.

“Fulfillment on the playing field” shows that we can face down the temptation to cheat by understanding that satisfaction only comes when we act in accordance with God, divine Truth.

And “An athlete prays” highlights how the Christ message is with us, and every athlete, to comfort and heal.

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