God's Coaching #148

God's Coaching #148

Victory celebrations in sports can look a little funny. A coach gets drenched with a bucket of Gatorade. Players spray each other with champagne. Soccer players rip off their jerseys and run around the field. Someone grabs a bottle of milk and drinks it. Yeah, you read correctly; drinking milk is a long-standing victory celebration at the Indianapolis 500. Every year the winner of the Indy 500 drinks milk in Victory Lane.

Milk has nothing specific to do with open-wheel racing—or any racing for that matter. But it has everything to do with tradition. It goes back to 1936. That’s when three-time Indy 500 winner, Louis Meyer, drank buttermilk in Victory Lane after his second win. Why? Because the weather was hot and he was thirsty. An executive of the Milk Foundation saw it and jumped at the chance to promote milk to racing fans. And like a good milk mustache, drinking milk stuck. Although in 1993, Emerson Fittipaldi bucked tradition by drinking orange juice at the finish. He owned some orange groves and wanted to promote the citrus industry. Fans booed. Newspapers criticized him. They didn’t have anything against orange juice, but Emerson’s act went against the tradition that bound Indy drivers and fans together through the years.

What’s the Score?

Your family probably has traditions, ways you do and celebrate things like Christmas, vacations, birthdays, or ways to worship God. Traditions help us remember and connect with our ancestors and with other Christians who have gone before us. They are good for us because they give us a better perspective about our lives and where we fit in God’s big picture.

The Israelites were reminded all through the Old Testament to follow their traditions and remember how God had worked in the past. Those memories encouraged and challenged them. Hebrews 13:7 tells us, “Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith.” We should do the same as the Israelites, using our traditions to remind us of God’s goodness.

On the Ball

Drink a glass of milk and answer these questions:

My favorite family traditions are _____.

They remind me _____.

My favorite worship traditions are _____.

They remind me _____.

Coach’s Comment

Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith. Hebrews 13:7