I love March Madness. I grew up loving Kentucky Wildcasts basketball. But have found that I love the game whoever plays. I was a basketball player in high school and a high school coach (I coached a state championship team at Bible Baptist Christian School in Ottumwa, Iowa). There are some life lessons that basketball teaches you that you can’t learn in the classroom. And there are some principles of playing basketball that apply to living the Christian life.
So I want to share with you a few life principles from the game I love:
Be a team player.
A basketball team consists of 5 players on the floor. There are also substitutes who sit the bench most of the game. Some teams may have a ‘superstar.’ But if the ‘superstar’ forgets that he needs the other players, he will lose the game to a less talented team. Often a game is won, not by the superstar or even the starters, but by the subs. In basketball and life, the team that plays together wins the game.
Play by the rules.
Every Michigan Wolverine fan cringes when we think of Chris Webber in the NCAA championship game. If you are not familiar, in the closing seconds of the game he called a time-out when the Wolverines did not have any time-outs left. In reality, it cost the team the game and the championship. Basketball has rules. You can’t double dribble, step out of bounds, shove a player while he’s shooting, and so on. Rules are not made to intentionally make the game more difficult, but to make the game more enjoyable for all to enjoy. Without rules, life and basketball would be chaos. God has given us 10 rules (commandments) to allow life to run more smoothly. Break them to your peril.
Get over your mistakes.
As a coach, I would have players make some huge blunders. I can remember times when one of my players would shoot an air ball. That miss would stay in his head for several minutes and he would not take another shot. Oftentimes, I would have to tell a player to ‘get over it.’ No matter how bad a play is made, it is the past. Let it go. Many problems people face are due to their past. If you are plagued with reminders of sins and mistakes in your past, confess it to God and anyone you have hurt, turn from that sin and start in the correct direction, and forget it. If God has forgiven and forgotten your sin, you need to let it go.
Practice, Practice, Practice.
Game day is always a big day. But most of us do not see all the hard work behind the scenes. Coaches and players are watching and reviewing films of their team and their opponents. Players have been pushing themselves physically so they can be at their peak. As a coach, I used to have a saying – You play like you practice. If, in practice, a player is sloppy, or forgets a play, or gives partial effort, that’s the way they’ll play in a game. I always ran my players more in practice than they would run in a game – so they would have strength in the fourth quarter. Success in life depends much on preparation. What is done behind the scenes is the greatest influence on what occurs on the stage of life. So I encourage every Christian to spend ‘Quiet Time’ with God every day. This is the most important activity you can do daily to ensure success in your Christian life.
Listen to the coach.
The coach of a basketball team has a unique perspective. He’s watching the whole game from the sidelines. Since he’s not in the middle of play, he can see situations that players cannot see. Sometimes a coach will call a play that doesn’t make sense to the players. But, he’s the coach. I remember a game I coached when we were losing by 6 points with less than 30 seconds to play. I called a time-out and called three plays: Play #1 Shoot a 3 pointer. Play #2 – Steal the ball and make a lay-up (2 points); Play #2 – Steal the ball and shoot another 3-pointer. I didn’t always call the right play, but on this occasion I did and we ended up winning the game against our state rival. As a Christian, our coach is Jesus. Listen to Him. Live your life the way He tells you. He has a better perspective of your life than you do. Consistently look to Him to see what ‘play’ He wants you to make.
What life principles have you learned from playing or watching basketball?