Friday, July 19, 2013
It Sneaks Up On You
I
am not against sports. Exercise and
competition can be healthy and fun. I do
find it interesting that while the sports scene enjoys a great public image,
the side effects of playing sports can sneak up on us. Consider these statistics gleaned from a
variety of sources:
·
High
school athletes account for an estimated 2 million injuries and 500,000 doctor
visits and 30,000 hospitalizations each year.
·
More
than 3.5 million kids under age 14 receive medical treatment for sports
injuries each year.
·
Annually
over 20 million Americans suffer a sports injury.
·
As
many as 20 percent of children who play sports get hurt, and about 25 percent
of their injuries are classified as serious.
·
14
years ago it was estimated that baby boomers suffered more than 1 million
sports injuries which cost over $18.7 billion dollars in medical expenses in
1998.
Violating
God's directives for living is another one of those things that can sneak up on
you. Before a society realizes it, their
casual attitude toward:
·
marriage
- results in half of our children not having two parents
·
the
sanctity of life - makes abortion one of the leading killers in our nation
·
alcohol
- costs us billions of dollars, thousands of lives and untold physical and
emotional injuries
·
God
- puts Him so far from the center of our culture that many people will never
even have an opportunity to explore a relationship with Him (this may be the most tragic consequence of
all)
The
good news is that it only takes a few simple routine choices to change all of
this. The reader can deduct those needed changes from the list above. Contrary to the popular misconception that
sin is fun stuff God doesn't want us to enjoy, I would contend that sin is the stuff
that steals our wholeness and joy. But since sin sneaks up on us, it is
sometimes an unidentified culprit.
When
people choose to obey God's directives good things begin to sneak up them. Strong families, valued lives and responsible
lifestyles do not come naturally, but they can come abundantly if we will pay
attention to the Designer's operating instructions. God's principles just keep on giving. Be assured,
your diligent pursuit of life according to God's directives will cause
great blessings to sneak up on you and your family -- for generations to come!
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