Why do you think it’s important to honor the Lord’s Day by forgoing team and league sports—even if your children have committed to the team?

Herb & Patty: Our commitment to a team is always secondary to our love and desire to honor our King and Savior. The day was made to honor and worship God. He made it holy, He gave it to us. It is His day, the Lord’s Day. If you play a sport on that day, the focus so easily becomes the game, the match, the preparation, the drive there, who are we playing, what will happen to our standings if we win or lose, and so forth. Our minds become preoccupied instead of focusing on the beauty of the King and the privilege of the day.

We reflect His glory throughout the whole week in our work, in our play, and in our commitment to a team. We are to do those things very well, then stop, rest, worship, and treat His day differently. Our kids could be a very committed and valuable part of a team and still honor the day. We always tried to be up front with the coach from the beginning so that he would know we were committed 100% the rest of the time.

Jake: Sports are no different from many other commitments we make throughout life—working for an employer, being a fan of a sports team, and so forth. In all of these things, we have to prioritize our commitment to the Lord and keeping His Sabbath. Sports are a useful training ground for that as one grows up. Finally, consider that if we prioritize team sports over church/Sabbath, where does it stop? Do we prioritize our favorite sports team? Our favorite TV series? Our employer’s demands?

How does being a Reformed Presbyterian make a difference in how you approach Sabbath-keeping and sports?

Herb: I was raised in a Christian RP home that honored the Sabbath. Our church holds to treating that day as a holy day, a day set apart. I was taught and believe that all of the day is the Lord’s, not just parts of it, so we have tried to figure out what that means and how to honor our King as we enjoy the day.

Patty & Jake: In our home and in our church we use Scripture to guide us. Isaiah 58:13-14 speaks so clearly about this delightful day. Sabbath keeping isn’t “RP” so much as it is biblical. We do vow to keep the Sabbath (membership vow 5), so it’s important for members to think that through.

Herb & Patty: We have been thankful that Geneva College continues to work at honoring the day. They do not play on the Lord’s Day and that has given our kids the freedom to fully participate. A number of times over the years, Geneva has made it to postseason play in both soccer and volleyball. In a couple of circumstances the NCAA adjusted from their normal routine to accommodate Geneva and its stance on the Lord’s Day. I don’t know where they stand at all levels, but in division III they work with the stance.

What are some tips for those who feel like they have to choose between high-level athletics and honoring God?

Herb: Both parents and kids have to think about their long-term goals. What are the plans that they have for their lives? If the Lord calls us to honor the day, we do that as 13-year-olds, we do that as 21-year-olds, and we do that as 54-year-olds.

God does gift people with athletic abilities, and it is right to develop them. If God gives us musical ability, we should develop it and use it. If God gives us the ability to build, then we should develop that and use it for His kingdom.

For the vast majority of people, high-level athletic involvement comes to a screeching halt around age 22. An incredibly small percentage of people play at the highest level and earn money doing it. It becomes their work: they earn income and they have an employer. I don’t know how believers, who take the commands of God seriously, can earn their living doing non-necessary work on the Lord’s Day. I think parents need to help kids develop that mindset from a very early age and pray that the Lord will bless their efforts. Help your kids think about the kingdom, what builds the kingdom, what pleases the King, and what Christ has done for us.

What has God taught you through your choices to keep the Sabbath?

Herb & Patty: By honoring Him and His day, God will bless. We didn’t know what it would look like when we first started, but hoped that God would bless and teach us as we tried to take an unpopular stance.

Herb: When I was in high school, I worked at Jim Dandy Fried Chicken in Denver. My boss hired me with a question mark, willing to try working around the Lord’s Day. I worked hard, tried to be very useful, and made great-tasting chicken so that my boss would think that I was someone he could work with. He was be happy to give me up on Sundays (his phrase) because the restaurant benefited the rest of the week. In God’s plan, it worked well. This was our hope with our kids when we entered athletics at a higher level. God is faithful and provided great experiences for our kids through athletics and allowed us to continue to honor Him and His day. We wanted to resist man’s standard for the day and try to use our God’s standard.

Tell a short story that illustrates the consequences of choosing Christ over sports.

Herb: There have been times when our kids have had to hear about the outcome of a missed tournament or championship game. One of our kids missed a state soccer championship, and he is fine with that. I am thankful for his attitude. It is hard when it happens because our minds do go to the team, wanting to help it succeed.

Our daughters played for a high-level volleyball club that was committed to the Lord’s Day. They only played tourneys that ended on a Saturday and didn’t extend over the Lord’s Day. In our desire to honor Christ, He provided a very competitive club that worked well and desired to honor Him. Most of the girls on the team played college volleyball, and it provided a good chance for our girls to learn.

One soccer coach adjusted well to our desire and quietly said to us and our son one time, “Just help us get to the championship.” He recognized our son’s role in helping the team move through the tourney.

Our position did afford opportunities to explain to people our stance. Some were clearly frustrated because it would have an impact on the team’s ability to do well, but most respected our decision.

Has God placed anything else on your heart to say?

Herb: I think our kids wrestled with Sabbath-keeping at times. They knew our convictions, and we hoped that they were becoming their own convictions, but I don’t think it was ever very easy for them.

It’s hard to be different, and it’s hard to miss out. I think they understood that we were not going to compromise, and hopefully they saw that we tried to be consistent.

Patty: We made many mistakes working with our kids, and even now we wonder if we used opportunities to teach about the Sabbath, if we helped our kids in their understanding, if we emphasized the beauty of our King and His day. God is gracious and we pray to Him to use our weak efforts for His name’s sake.

Jake: Through not playing on Sunday, I was different from my team and the world. This brought up several opportunities to talk about my faith, how soccer isn’t the most important thing in my life, and how my relationship with Jesus is.

Even though at times I chafed at not being able to play on Sundays, and would have rather done what seemed more cool, I now look back with gratitude for the priority that was instilled to keep the Sabbath and to be with God’s people in worship. I might have missed some good games, but I certainly would have missed out on the most important part of the week had I played!