I’ve recently noticed how much superstition there is in sports. From the routine a pitcher will go through before throwing his pitch, to the way a football player holds the ball before passing it to the quarterback… athletes stick with the habits that produced the desired results and quickly dismiss the ones that don’t.
In the heat of battle, the fans are just as superstitious as the athletes, if not more so. They wear certain jerseys or team colors, eat the same food, and drink the same things during each game. Some hard-core fans don’t even allow talking when the game is on! All in effort to bring some good mojo for their team. I’ve observed this time and time again and in the back of my mind was the nagging question, “How does superstition impact your faith?”
Superstition is
– a belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge
– irrational fear of what is unknown or mysterious, especially in connection with religion
– any blindly accepted belief or notion
Faith is
– confidence or trust in a person or thing
– belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion
– belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc
I’m not trying to stir up the pot, but these two definitions have some interesting similarities, don’t they? But it all comes down to one thing…what do you believe?
I’ve noticed superstitions usually rely on the actions of the person. Whether it’s performing a specific routine to get something done or having to use the same item over and over again because its “lucky,” superstition focuses on an actual item or process. (Sounds a bit like an idol, doesn’t it?)
Faith, however, is normally based on personal knowledge. We believe in God, for example, because we have experienced His presence at some point of our lives. We have faith in another person’s abilities because we have seen them perform the task in the past. We pray based on reverence of God, not because it will bring us good luck.
Superstition may be something we grew up believing or a ritual we do to feel better prepared or equipped for the task at hand, but at the end of the day, we serve a powerful and sovereign God. He can certainly do more than we can think or imagine… aren’t we lucky to have Him? 😉
Be blessed,
Jennifer
“You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?” 1 Corinthians 3:3