Should Christians Watch Sports as a Stress Reliever?

Since December 26th I've had a baby boy in the hospital. He was born a little over five weeks early, which has necessitated an extended hospital stay. If you've never had such an experience, pray that you don't. Our baby has been doing very well the whole time, but it is still incredibly stressful to have him in the hospital for 2 weeks (and counting). I'm not writing to get you to tear up. I'm actually not trying to play your emotions at all. This situation of learning, growing, and mostly trusting has led me to some tough questions.

One of them being: Is it permissible for a Christian to use sports as an entertaining distraction, a way to 'check out' from the painful or stressful reality of life from time to time? If you're reading and don't consider yourself a Christian, please realize that I'm writing today from one believer to another. So, my fellow Christians, I ask you: Am I doing something wrong when I watch football on TV as a way to lessen the stress in my life?

This is exactly the type of question that I'd like to tackle in the Thicket, so let's get started.

God calls us to rely on him. I'm not questioning that fact. Seeking the Lord and his wisdom, guidance, and grace is the first and foremost thing a Christian should do in EVERY situation, but especially a difficult situation. Honestly, I can say that I have been doing that while my son has been in the hospital. Is there room for improvement? Of course. I could pray more; Trust in His sovereignty more; and rest in His peace more. I should continue to improve my relationship with God during this time.

But what about when last Saturday evening comes around? My wife and I have been visiting the hospital every day for a week straight. We also have a happy healthy 16 month old son that needs to get dropped off at grandparents or watched at the hospital. The stress has been building all week because we've been leaving our baby son at the hospital and our toddler with relatives once a day for seven days. Friday had been extra stressful, as we had a nurse on a power trip that wouldn't let us hold our son for very long. You get to a point where you just need a rest. Cue Saturday Night Football.

Jaguars at Steelers. After we put our toddler to bed, my wife and I watched the whole game. Not only was it a great game, but it also afforded me the opportunity to not think about my present stresses for a few hours. Should I have instead spent three hours praying fervently for my newborn's health? I know prayer is great (and I have been praying) but I'm not so sure that focusing on his hospital stay for that amount of time would have given me any additional peace about the whole situation.

If we're not able to relax at some point, if we always have to go go go in every area of our life, if we think about every stress fully all the time... won't we fall apart at some point? This is just my point of view, it may be wrong. I know there isn't much Scripture referencing football (college or pro). But can I just take a break? Please!?

Time and time again in Scripture, God calls us to seek Him for our rest: Isaiah 40:31, Matthew 11:28-30. At the end of the day, this is what I need to do. If I haven't approached the Lord with my worries and fears, a football game will be nothing more than 3 hour distraction. In fact, I won't be able to enjoy the game as much because my thoughts will continue to stray back to my current stresses. However, if I have truly prayed that God will be honored in my life and in these circumstances, if I am truly seeking to please him with my life, and if I am trusting in his sovereignty... I believe there is room for a little 'check out' time.

As Christians, we never completely 'check out'. We must always guard our minds from temptation and seek the Lord's will for our thoughts, words and actions. But if Sports is a way you relax and recharge, (and you're spending regular time praying and reading Scripture), I personally don't see anything wrong with relaxing in front of a good game.

I doubt these statements fully resolve the original question, but I hope they begin to clarify the issue. (If I'm struck by lightning this week you can discount everything I've said...)

My NFL Playoff Picks for the Weekend: Packers, Patriots, Colts, and Cowboys.
No, I'm not just picking teams that start with 'P' on Saturday and teams that start with 'C' on Sunday. What I am doing (with a decent amount of shame) is picking the four top seeds. I just can't see upsets happening. The Packers have been playing really well. I'll be rooting for the Jags but not hard enough to pick against the Pats. Manning will not throw 6 INTs against the Chargers again, thereby sealing a victory. The Giants have played two good games in a row, I can't see a third.

Scoreboard for the Thicket NFL Playoff Challenge: Pheaney 3, Yon 3, Wife 1, Grimmbo 1
Again, I'm just testing this scoring system out. I know I look like a loser playing against only 3 people, none of whom submitted their picks voluntarily.

Last but not least: Props to Matt Hasselback for praying after last week's win. I'm sure that he's prayed after other games, and I'm guessing there were teammates surrounding him. But it was the first time I saw him on camera. Way to go Matt!