The parents’ rollercoaster

In previous columns, we have shared some of the ways we support Christians involved in elite sport.

But to make the grade as adults, these sports-people will have been identified and trained from a young age. Imagine the emotional involvement of parents… ‘She’s done it. She’s made the British team for the world junior championships. How amazing is that! All that sacrifice has paid off. We almost feel like we’ve been selected ourselves.’

On the other hand… ‘He came so close. We really thought they’d give him a professional contract. For all those years, he seemed to have been one of the star players but, just like that, only three made the cut and he wasn’t one of them. It was agony for all of us.’

Highs and lows

These are just some of the comments we hear every day from parents and guardians of top-level young athletes. It’s extremely exciting when you’re in this position, but it’s also really challenging. I don’t just mean challenging for the young person, of course, I mean for the whole family, for the parents and even the grandparents, because the stress, the travel, the pressure is huge. You can only really understand the highs and the lows if you’re in that position yourself.

At Christians in Sport, we felt passionate about helping parents to address this. We spoke to families in this situation and researched the top ten questions they faced. And it’s these questions that we have sought to answer in a new downloadable booklet called How do I support my child as a Christian in the world of elite sport?.

Jesus at the centre

Elite sport is very different to ordinary day by day sport. The overriding emphasis on winning and the sheer commitment required in time and travel are just two of the many differences. As a result, one of the questions we tackle in booklet is: ‘How do I keep Jesus at the centre of everything when trying to balance sport, church and life?’

For each of the ten questions, we have written a short piece on the biblical principle behind them, but also left scope for families to apply this to their own specific situation. For example, in answering the question above, we look at Colossians 1.15-17 to show that Jesus IS at the centre of everything. The verses remind us that Jesus has created all things, sustains all things and has redeemed all things, so that in all things he might have the supremacy.

The best advice then is to remember that, when we are stretched to our limits in trying to balance all aspects of our children’s lives, it’s not a case of ‘trying to keep Jesus central’ but of recognising and acknowledging how central he already is.

At Christians in Sport, our mission is to reach the world of sport for Christ. The parents and guardians booklet is one of many resources we have produced over the years specifically to help elite sports-people live for Jesus in the clubs and teams where he has placed them. But, however you’re involved in sport, if you’re a follower of Jesus and long to make him known, there are plenty of written, audio and video resources to help you do this on our website.

We hope and pray that this booklet will be a huge benefit to families in this country and around the world.

To download your free copy, visit www.christiansinsport.org.uk/ypabooklet