So I am not going to lie; I am a total sucker for an inspirational sports story. The underdog who, through perseverence and with great wit and humor, rises up, emerging victorious amidst the screams and cheers of fans. Music swells, stirring the soul and often times a dance sequence erupts.
I love it. That is all I can really say.
Today my one brother heads off for basketball provincials with the high school team he coaches. Both of my brothers coached these guys for years and the team was always the underdog who came in last at tournaments. They were the team that people just expected to beat.
But this year all of that changed. All of a sudden this team from a small school was coming in first at tournaments. They were shocking crowds. They were scoring three pointers with only three seconds left in games.
The stuff of movies, right?
And today my brothers are able to see the fruit of their labours. After years of pouring into this team, my one brother gets to take them to Provincials, which just happen to be where my other brother lives.
This team has a strategy in their game. This strategy is called "Jesus Defense." It is based on the Scripture where Jesus says "No greater love has man than this: that he lay down his life for his brother." If one of their teammates needs help, the others will come to give this help. They play as a team. They play as a unit. Watching them on the court is like watching one body moving.
Seriously, I want to cry when I think of some of the games I have seen them play. When I think of the honour that they play with. When I think of how they give God the glory, whether they win or lose.
It has taken years. In the past, no matter how hard this team has worked, no matter how hard they tried, they could not win. It has taken plenty of training and a great deal of humbling, but these guys are champions. I feel honoured to know them, to cheer for them, to be the sister of their coaches.
Sometimes we wonder if what we do in life is worth it. I got my worst mark on a paper ever yesterday and it sometimes makes me wonder what the point of all of this schooling is. What's the point in trying your hardest when sometimes your hardest just isn't good enough? Sometimes, no matter how hard I work at my relationship with God, I still despair of ever getting married, of ever being good enough for a guy. Sometimes we work so hard to forgive, to move on, but grief is still our closest friend.
Sometimes it takes days. Sometimes months. Sometimes years.
And yet, the shortcomings are not failures. This is where we learn. They are where we discover how to cling to God, to glorify Him even when life seems to be going no where. For some of these high school boys, they spent four years coming in last place. But they didn't give up. They didn't lose sight. They kept working, they kept growing.
This is the lesson I want to take from these high school basketball players. I want them to know that their journey, despite their youth, has been an encouragement and inspiration to me. I hope I can persevere in my own life even half as much as they have in the sport they love.
Thank-you, guys, for showing Jesus both on and off the court!
I love it. That is all I can really say.
Today my one brother heads off for basketball provincials with the high school team he coaches. Both of my brothers coached these guys for years and the team was always the underdog who came in last at tournaments. They were the team that people just expected to beat.
But this year all of that changed. All of a sudden this team from a small school was coming in first at tournaments. They were shocking crowds. They were scoring three pointers with only three seconds left in games.
The stuff of movies, right?
And today my brothers are able to see the fruit of their labours. After years of pouring into this team, my one brother gets to take them to Provincials, which just happen to be where my other brother lives.
This team has a strategy in their game. This strategy is called "Jesus Defense." It is based on the Scripture where Jesus says "No greater love has man than this: that he lay down his life for his brother." If one of their teammates needs help, the others will come to give this help. They play as a team. They play as a unit. Watching them on the court is like watching one body moving.
Seriously, I want to cry when I think of some of the games I have seen them play. When I think of the honour that they play with. When I think of how they give God the glory, whether they win or lose.
It has taken years. In the past, no matter how hard this team has worked, no matter how hard they tried, they could not win. It has taken plenty of training and a great deal of humbling, but these guys are champions. I feel honoured to know them, to cheer for them, to be the sister of their coaches.
Sometimes we wonder if what we do in life is worth it. I got my worst mark on a paper ever yesterday and it sometimes makes me wonder what the point of all of this schooling is. What's the point in trying your hardest when sometimes your hardest just isn't good enough? Sometimes, no matter how hard I work at my relationship with God, I still despair of ever getting married, of ever being good enough for a guy. Sometimes we work so hard to forgive, to move on, but grief is still our closest friend.
Sometimes it takes days. Sometimes months. Sometimes years.
And yet, the shortcomings are not failures. This is where we learn. They are where we discover how to cling to God, to glorify Him even when life seems to be going no where. For some of these high school boys, they spent four years coming in last place. But they didn't give up. They didn't lose sight. They kept working, they kept growing.
This is the lesson I want to take from these high school basketball players. I want them to know that their journey, despite their youth, has been an encouragement and inspiration to me. I hope I can persevere in my own life even half as much as they have in the sport they love.
Thank-you, guys, for showing Jesus both on and off the court!
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