For Heaven's Sake!

God Goes for a Lay Up

by Nick Popadich

Well I finally found out the answer to the popular question "What would Jesus Do." In your local religious goods store next to the tacky "WWJD" bracelets, you will find some new images of Jesus. Seems like this guy is pretty busy. He's been holding on to your son's arm as he swings his bat into the ball. He's been guiding you as you go for the goal in hockey. He's helping you kick the ball in soccer. I would hate to be on the opposite team!

Of course, that is exactly my point. I think we've gone a bit too far with this one.

He's Got The Whole World In His Hands . . .

With all that goes on in the world, I refuse to believe that God is a soccer mom. I just cannot envision Him looking down on a sporting event, rooting for Holy Rosary and providing some holy heckling to St. John's. Sure it's cute (and sometimes downright hilarious) to see an image of God ice skating, but what are we saying to kids?

These kinds of images make the personal Savior into your own personal genie, putting God on par with a rabbit's foot or a lucky penny. Praying becomes like good luck. Sure it's true that God is always with you, but is he the one that steadies your hand to perfectly arch that three-pointer? I don't think so.

What happens when a kid prays and prays that he will do well and his team will win... but when the game comes, he performs terribly and his team loses? Maybe he goes home and looks at his picture of the basketball-playing Savior, and decides that faith and religion are all a sham. He prayed his heart out, but couldn't make that game-winning free throw. Where was old JC then? Doesn't God always win?

God Is For The Winners . . .

Today, as we are surrounded with images of war and battle, we've been hearing a lot more of "God Bless America." That's good, but we've got to remember that God blesses every country. He can't help it... He's God. He loves everyone. He loves everything he created. Everything. Everywhere.

When I saw those pictures of what I've come to refer to as "Sporty Jesus", I was reminded of how easy it is for us, as a country, to think that God is on our side. And if a country can think that way, how much easier is it for an individual to feel that way. The Sporty Jesus pictures say, more or less, that God takes sides and that He is competitive.

This could not be further from the truth.

New Pictures Needed . . .

I say we need to get some new pictures in the kiddies' bedrooms. Let's see Jesus hugging a bum on the street. Let's see Jesus protecting a prostitute from harms way. Let's see Jesus hiding in a tunnel with Osama bin Laden.

But we all know these images would never sell. We don't want to see a compassionate God. What a wimp! We don't want to see a God who stays with sinners even when they sin and sin and sin. We like our God to win us Oscars, get us promotions and save us from dying in car accidents.

And we want our Savior to help us win our sporting events.

For Heaven's Sake!

Copyright 2001 by Nick Popadich
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