What We Can Learn From the Iron Bowl

The day dawned ripe with potential and expectations across the entire state of Alabama Saturday as both Alabama and Auburn fans donned their favorite sports apparel, decorated their cars with the appropriate paraphernalia and exchanged smack talk across kitchen tables and live air waves.  The entire  day was set aside for tailgating, Iron Bowl Parties, and intimate gatherings around family television sets.  There is no doubt football is important in Alabama, but on the day of the Iron Bowl, when the University of Alabama goes head to head against its arch rival Auburn University, virtually everything else in the state comes to a complete standstill – for a football game.

But not JUST a game.  No, it IS NOT a life-altering event as so many have insinuated – certainly not worth making death threats against a young man whose only offense is not kicking a piece of inflated leather through two metal posts.  Seriously?  Being disappointed about a game is neither a reason to be depressed or an excuse to be rude or violent.  It does, however, carry with it a great deal of potential and responsibility as we ask ourselves how our actions, words, and reactions to the weekend’s events are molding the minds and hearts of our children.

1. Sportsmanship – There is no doubt losing is difficult and winning is fun; however, there is a right and wrong way to handle both for there can be both sore winners and gracious losers.  Our children need to see us model how to handle both the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat in a way that brings honor to God.

2.  Priorities – Football is a pastime and should be treated as such.  Our children need to know we put the proper perspective on it as a game to be enjoyed and not the catalyst for making all our life decisions.

3.  Compassion – I find it amazing and very sad that an entire team can play a game for 3 1/2 hours yet one lone kicker can be blamed for losing it in the final second.  There is a human being behind the shoe that connected with that pigskin.  What a powerful tool we give our children when we help them relate to people and not emotions.  This is a perfect opportunity to not only model but to have a meaningful discussion with your children about showing the love of God in EVERY situation – even the Iron Bowl.

4.  Words – Smack talk and bragging rights are so common in sports I daresay many people even stop to think whether their words are appropriate or not.   In fact, by its very nature smack talk is designed to continue on and on as each side tries to one-up the other.  Words should lift up not tear down even in the sports arena.  Is our speech during football season emulating the way we want to hear our children speak about other topics throughout the year?

5.  Perseverance – Finally, even if you are an Alabama fan there is much to be taught about perseverance and never giving up in a game like Saturday’s Iron Bowl.  Auburn could have given up long before those last two touchdowns and lost because of their attitude and lack of teamwork, but because they stuck together and put in the extra effort they came out as the victors.

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.  

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

This is what is meant by Deuteronomy Parenting.  As you rise up in the morning and end your day in the evening, how do you deal with life?  Every day the way we live as parents molds our children and provides opportunities to teach them God’s precepts – even Alabama football.  And these life lessons are far more valuable and carry far more significance into the future than the final numbers on the scoreboard.  So, no, the Iron Bowl was not just a game, but it was a massive opportunity to practice Deuteronomy parenting.

I challenge each of us, whether we have small children at home or not, to figuratively mark our doorposts as someone who loves the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength as diligently and proudly as we fly our team’s flag.