For a few different reasons, we could say that sports are an important part of life.  Our recent post about the Packers tells about one reason — to wit, the importance of putting the team and the mission before yourself.  In the media recently, we have seen three examples of another of those reasons — to wit, athletes sometimes show us astounding character in their efforts on and off the field:

• Jeremy Lin was interviewed on 60 minutes about how he overcame racial prejudice to become an NBA star.
• R. A. Dickey was also interviewed on 60 minutes about how he overcame sexual abuse, a failing marriage, and a failing pitching career to become the first knuckleballer to with the Cy Young award and more importantly, to have a restored marriage.
• Jackie Robinson was featured in 42, a film about his fight against overwhelming racial prejudice to become an MLB star.

These are the kind of stories that can give us and our children a real vision for what a life well-lived looks like, a vision for the right way to overcome various forms of adversity.  Each of these men overcame a different obstacle, but each of them has or had the same trust in Jesus Christ, especially through the roughest spots.  In the media portrayals this is often ignored, but in each case we note that these men are/were characterized by the sweet, quiet confidence that is the outworking of faith a sovereign God.