How to watch the Ashes
Some thoughts to keep you amused at 1am
Some people are amazed that I find test cricket an interesting sport. I mean, what sort of a game goes for FIVE DAYS! And then, after the first five days is finished, you still have do that again another four times before it's all over. It sometimes takes 25 full days of sport, almost an entire month to decide who's going to win! Well, I guess it sounds kind of stupid if you put it like that.
And yet, people watch in their tens of thousands. Australians stay awake long into the night to find out what's happening. So here's something to think about if you are one of them.
I think that test match cricket is actually a bit like living the Christian life. Watching a test match, you can see a battle going on. There are good times and celebrations, but also doubt, insecurity and tests of character. And it seems to me, it is the ones who dig in when times are tough, that succeed.
So, as you watch the opening batsmen get hammered by a bouncer, let it remind you that the Christian journey also isn't easy. We must be people who go in realising that there will be good times, but there will also be many difficulties. We need to make sure we concentrate and don't give up our wicket early on, but see the game through to its conclusion. When times are tough, dig in. Not relying on your own inner strength, but on Jesus, to pull you through.
As you watch an English player drop a sitter once again, remember there will also be times when we drop the ball & let down our team - God and fellow Christians. What do Cricket teams do when this happens? The rest of the team gathers around, they encourage the player to get back on his feet and try again. I reckon we should be like that with our Christian friends.
And as you see Australia celebrating in victory, remember we also belong to a victorious team. Christianity is not a solo sport. We're in this together - it's a team game, and we need to help each other, so that when our innings is over, we can hear each other say, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Tim, 4:7).
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