Life and Basketball

Since becoming voluntarily unemployed, I’ve been helping out with the After Care program at my nephew’s school. Basically, when they need a substitute, they call me, and I spend 2 and half hours with a bunch of hyper kids until their parents pick them up. It helps the Mondays pass by a little quicker.

Yesterday, as we neared the 5:00 mark, I took the kids to the gym to get their craziness out. If you don’t let them run around, they start hitting each other and thinking of other ridiculous ways to keep busy. As my little youngsters took up half the gym playing what they call “Dodgeball-Kickball,” I decided to shoot some hoops. Now, a little tidbit about myself, I used to love the game of basketball. Playing, watching, arguing, whatever. And I wasn’t too shabby if I might say so myself. But yesterday was the first time I picked up a basketball in long over a year.

I started taking some shots. At first, I was a little ambitious, taking long shots and free throws. As I noticed a pattern in my unsuccessful attempts, I remembered some advice a friend once gave me about warming up. They told me that when you first get to the court, take close shots. Work your way around the key, taking easy, short shots. If you run out there and start shooting 3’s, you won’t develop the right form and you’ll be unsuccessful. And actually, you’ll wear yourself out before you even start the game.

Now if you can’t make the spiritual analogy, I’d be glad to help out. A lot of times, after going through a difficult time, I’m eager to jump back in to the way things were. Back in to habits, behaviors, a faster pace of life, self-sufficiency, etc etc. And then I crash and burn. I can just picture God shaking His head in disappointment. I forget to warm-up. I forget to take time to remember the right way to do things. I just want to score points.

I’m not going to do that this time. I’ve learned too much and developed too many crucial habits to toss them aside. I’m going to keep taking short and easy shots until God says I’m ready for the 3’s. And by that time, my form will be impeccable.

"Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you."