pressing on

I wish I had played basketball in high school. 

I had started playing the sport when I was in 5^th grade—my first team was called “Magic” and our rivals were, naturally, the “Bulls”.  We were living the dream as we clumsily tried to dribble that 20 oz. ball up and down the court, through our legs and then hold onto it for dear life as our opponent attempted to rip it from our arms.  I'm quite sure we spent more on the floor getting the whistle blown for “jump” balls than we did actually playing basketball. If you’ve ever seen Middle School girls play basketball, you know what I'm referring too…

I continued playing until 9^th grade where I felt quite successful in my accomplishments on the ‘A’ team.  Ninth grade wasn’t considered high school where I come from (8^th and 9^th grade were Junior High and 10^th-12^th grade were high school), but there were a few sports in which athletes could play up at the high school.  My freshman year we lost a few girls in our grade to the high school team.

If we’re being honest, I was pretty bitter I hadn’t been asked to play at a more advanced level.  I thought I was good enough, I thought I hustled enough… I thought I deserved it. 

It was one of my first lessons on not always getting what we think we deserve. 

While I had a successful season that year (I loved that 3-pointer game winning shot), I let my bitterness carry into a decision that now I regret.  That season was my last season. 

During my sophomore year at the high school, basketball tryouts inevitably approached and I latched onto a few good reasons why I couldn’t/shouldn’t try out.  

1.     They work really hard

2.     I’ll have to play on JV

3.     They clearly didn’t think I was talented enough to play last year so I probably won’t even have any playing time on JV.

4.     I'm bitter and now they’ll have to pay by not having me grace them with my abilities

I feared not getting what I wanted (to be a star starter on varsity my sophomore year of high school) and so I quit.  Well, I just didn’t even try. 

And I wonder if we’re all like that to some degree.  We want something but it takes work, discipline, practice…and there’s still no guarantee that we’ll get it…and so we give up or we don’t even put ourselves out there. 

If I could, I’d do it all over again and change that decision.  Not because my life has been ruined due to not playing basketball… but more because that choice reflected a character flaw in me that I’ve repeated in other ways since. 

There’s a scripture in 1 Timothy that you’re probably familiar with that’s really challenged me a few times.  Paul is writing to Timothy and encouraging him to not let anyone look down on him because he’s young—he’s prescribing him to be an example, to not neglect the spiritual gifts imparted to him.  Here’s the part that always hits me:

v. 15 (NASB) “Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.”

Too often I quit. 

There are these incredible opportunities placed before me but sometimes they require a little work, a little effort…sometimes they require risk and sacrifice and the unknown…and I let that define me.   But in this passage Paul is saying to take PAINS with the gifts you’ve been given (even the gifts you possess won’t always come easily or naturally), to be ABSORBED in them…so that all might see.  He goes onto to tell Timothy to persevere for as he does this he will “ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

Beautiful, right?

What about you?

What are the gifts that you’ve been given?  What are the gifts that you’re giving up on because it’s suddenly gotten a little harder or because you suddenly weren’t sure that it was all going to turn out the way you thought it might? 

He’s imparted them to you for a reason.

Take pains with them.

Be absorbed in them.

Let your progress be evident to all…so that some might be saved.

May we all live in the fullness of what our Creator has fashioned us to be…let us take risks, let us dream big, let us walk in uncertainty...and let our lives and the world around us be changed because we stand on solid ground.

It’s not too late.

Let’s play some ball.  

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