“And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God and he is eternal life.”
– 1 John 5:20

Let’s just tell it like it is! With today’s world turned upside down due to COVID-19, athletes and coaches are missing many of the experiences that once brought them together. Canceled practices and games in addition to limited team activities leads to  reduced fellowship. There’s nothing sports do better than to create fellowship. What exactly is fellowship? It’s defined as a friendly association with people who share similar interests. To athletes and coaches this association of people is called a team and there is something about being part of a team that brings us great joy. That joy brings laughter, connection and friendships that can last a lifetime. There’s currently a huge hole in the hearts of athletes and coaches because that special time of fellowship has been reduced or taken away. Unfortunately, the true value of fellowship is often missed until we no longer have it. It’s easy to take our teams and relationships with one another for granted. We live in hope that someday soon, the fields and courts will again be breeding grounds of great fellowship.

God created man, you and me, to be in fellowship with Him. That means God wants to spend time with us. I’ll be the first to admit, that I’m guilty of letting too many things get in the way of that fellowship time with God. 1 John 5:21 says, ‘keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” That verse hits me right between the eyes! God wants to be at the center of our lives. He doesn’t want the time that is left over from our TV watching, too busy working, or I’ll do it later lives. God has earned the right to be in constant fellowship with  us. His Son Jesus lived on this earth, fully human and fully God. Jesus died a horrible death on the cross so that our sins could be forgiven and we could live for eternity with God the Father. COVID-19 has given us all a great deal of time to think. Let’s give some thought to the kind of fellowship we have with the One True God. Let’s not make the mistake of taking His love, mercy and grace for granted.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the special bonds of fellowship I have with my players and coaches. Thank You also for loving me so much that You would allow Your Son to die for me, so that I might be in fellowship with You forever. Amen.