Alien?

I have come to the conclusion that I must be an alien. It seems that you must be interested in sport in order to be considered 'normal'. I am not! I would rather take a long walk in the countryside and watch the wildlife or sit and read a book than watch sport. Up to now this summer we have been bombarded with headlines and television programmes about the European football, motor racing, tennis and many more and we still have the Olympics to come.

Don't get me wrong, for those who are interested in such things, I'm glad when they do well after all their training and hard work and the effort they need to put into achieving good results. But, for me at least, that is not the be all and end all of my life. There are headlines in newspapers saying that we are praying for someone to win. Really? I guess I should be happy that they are praying but can't help asking 'Is this what Jesus meant when he told us to pray to Father?'

What about the person or team who lost? Are they not worthy of God's compassion? Does God appreciate the efforts of one country more than another? I pray that those who pay hard earned money to go and see sporting events, have an enjoyable day. I pray that those taking part will not be seriously hurt in the process. I pray for fairness and good sportsmanship and good and cordial behaviour among fans. And I pray that the person or team that proves to be the best on the day, wins.

I admit that sport is a very healthy pursuit and good for you - if that is what you like to do. But just because I don't does not make me weird. So this evening I am going to enjoy the last in the Chris Packham series 'Secrets of our Living Planet'.