My parents put worship over sports. I am grateful.

As I tuned in and out, I found it difficult to fully concentrate on Pastor Ross’ Sunday sermon when my team was playing such an important game at that moment. Would we advance to the championship? Would yesterday’s hard-fought victories count for nothing? Did I let my team down by not being at the game? Or have I blessed my team by bearing witness to the joy of worshiping with a church community?

If worship in the local church is essential to faithful following of Christ, we should consider how we prioritize participation in travel sports and gathering with God’s people. I grew up in a family that loved both sports and church. Sometimes this led to moments where we had to choose between the two.

My purpose here is not to provide a list of do’s and don’ts for the Sabbath. But I want to help you think about how following the Lord impacts youth engagement in sports, and I want to challenge you to prioritize Sunday worship. My parents consistently chose church, and I am grateful that they did. Here are several reasons why.

1. You taught me the value of worship.

Legendary Wheaton College football coach Mike Swider always told parents, “Your child has a 0.03 percent chance of playing professional sports, but a 100 percent chance of standing before Jesus one day.” He has right. One day we will all give an account to God (Romans 14:10). But judging by the number of young people on the fields, courts and courses on Sunday morning, you might think Swider’s statistics are wrong.

What parents do (and allow their children to do) shows what they value. The well-known maxim is true: habits are better to learn than to teach. It’s easy to teach your kids the importance of belonging to a Bible-believing, gospel-centered church, but allowing your teen to skip every other Sunday for travel soccer begs the question, “What are your real priorities?” “What we do shows what we love, and what we love shows what we worship. As Paul wrote, “While physical training has some value, godliness has value in every respect, holding out a promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Tim. 4:8).

What we do shows what we love, and what we love shows what we worship.

When I was growing up, my dad would talk to my coaches before the season and let them know that church was important to our family. He regularly asked whether this commitment would still enable me to participate in the team. My family avoided activities that would conflict with Sunday worship and opted for Saturday leagues whenever possible, and for that I am grateful.

2. They taught me to commit to obedience.

When I was in middle school, my father emailed the tournament directors asking if our team could play the games scheduled for Sunday morning on Friday evening. Thankfully, some directors honored this request. My father was the general manager of a professional football team, and it’s worth noting that in his 20 years in that role, he never – no, not once – managed to schedule a game or practice on a Sunday. I am grateful to currently play on a Christian college team (and at an institution) that prioritizes the local church and does not practice or play games on Sundays.

3. You taught me to live apart from the world.

Despite the preventative measures we took to avoid playing in Sunday-oriented leagues, my teams still played games on Sundays. I missed a lot of those games. Skipping Sunday morning sports led to many gospel conversations that might not have occurred otherwise. My teammates asked me why I missed a game: Why is church so important to you and your family? What does it mean to be a Christian? What are you even doing in church again? This would trigger intense discussions about God, the church and the Christian life.

Despite what many believe, isolation from the world can often contribute to, rather than detract from, our witness to Christ. Who would have thought that life’s biggest questions would be asked in the warm-up before a U13 football match?

And those were just my friends. There were also many ways my family was able to help others because we treated Sundays differently than our sports community. For example, my father took advantage of the opportunity to lead chapel services for my teams at out-of-town tournaments.

As believers, we should not simply “conform” or agree to what is normal for the world without asking, “Is this biblical?” (Romans 12:1–2). I pray that some would see my father’s good deeds and give glory to God (Matthew 5:16). On this side of heaven, I will probably never experience the spiritual fruit that came from his hours of side conversations with my teammates’ parents. But I am grateful for my parents’ commitment to the local church. I’m glad they prioritized worship Sunday after Sunday. I’m thankful I didn’t attend that game on Sunday morning.

Despite what many believe, isolation from the world can often contribute to, rather than detract from, our witness to Christ.

Let’s not throw away the Bible, obedience to Jesus, and the Lord’s Day for the sake of sports. My desire is for parents to think more biblically about how sports and church intersect and to consider the rich blessings that come from the corporate worship of God’s people.

As the years go by, I love the Lord’s Day more and more for the fellowship, rest, and break from the weekly routine that God gives us. There is great joy in continually worshiping with God’s people and stepping away from our normal activities (even for just a day). Perhaps the tension between following Christ and participating in youth sports is best summed up by a former competitive athlete, professional coach, die-hard sports fan and my role model, who challenges believers with the simple mantra: Love God; like sports.