Easier to Destroy

Well, that little phrase is often super-true unless we're talking about sin, habits, desires we decide we want to overcome.

I've been a fan of the real football for most of my life (often called soccer in the U.S. and a few other places) so when many decades ago a pro player -actually more than one, said "It's easier to destroy than create" it rang true to me. Between studying and acquiring many books prior to the internet, watching games at all levels, attending pro matches and playing in most every position in our little in-house church league as well as scrimmaging constantly over many years it was obvious even novices willing to learn how to time and execute tackles from a defensive position was a simpler matter than learning and displaying creativity as a goal-scorer. Oh I don't mean it doesn't take effort or talent and yet...

It takes real thought and -imagination- as well as split-second timing to move, spin, accurately shoot on goal. Now, plenty of defensive players will take issue with me that all this is also involved in their marking, tackling and deft ball distribution and I get that having played in defense more than anything else. Yet I stand by what I've said here. There have been plenty of defensive players who became adept at scoring indeed.

Tearing down, trashing, aggressively challenging seems to be a common and I'd even posit at times addictive, non-thinking approach where brute force and power to win over one's opponent in this and many and various sporting games. Sound like politics? Uhhuh. Sometimes sound like your neighbor -or perhaps yourself (in the mirror) here?

We see nearly nothing like this displayed in the nature and interactions much less the teachings and commands of Jesus.

We see from Genesis to Revelation two realities in humans: the imago Dei (image of God) as well as old/human/sin nature. It's a both/and.

Though creativity isn't a zero factor in defensive sport -playing a more simple, banal sense of "destroy, break apart, blow up their tactics" is much easier to grasp and execute for most -and I speak from experience as well as the long study of human history.

I suggest to you God "red cards" far more such attitudes than he does great positioning, creative people who train to build up and not merely tear down. Apostle Paul uses that actual phrase in a letter to a local church.

The easy road is wide and leads to destruction (said Jesus). What are we truly doing on the field? I think that's a massively important question regardless of our "position".

And as always, thanks for stopping by! -Glenn