"Football is not a matter of life and death, it is more important than that."
Pause for thought
February is still a major holiday month here in Argentina, and even as sports people, we have been rewarded with a week's break to rest and recover from the intensity of the biomechanical training we are undertaking. Myself and Fabio are part of a group of five athletes working with the same coach and biomechanic, in what can sometimes be described as a gruelling process of re-education and rehabilitation of technique, which takes up roughly 4 hours per day and can leave us very tired, not just physically, but mentally as well.I am no doubt making all this sound like a very unpleasant experience! Well it has its moments but the differences we are beginning to see never fail to renew our motivation. It was a challenge to persevere in faith especially during the first months, and this continues to be so each day, but we believe that the Lord is with us, and through this process we are not only adding to our sporting knowledge, but learning lessons in faith, perseverance, identity, contentment and so much more.
This small break from the routine will be a time to recover physically and mentally, to keep up our training but at a more relaxed pace. It will also be a time to reflect on some of the things that the Lord is teaching, knowing that at some point, there will come a time to share them with other Christian sports people. I often go back to the promise of Matthew 11.28-30, to Jesus’ promise of rest and his gentleness and lowliness of heart. I find both hope and a challenge in these words; the hope of mental, physical and spiritual restoration through Him; and the challenge of exuding these qualities in my own character, in an environment that can so often show itself hostile to them.