For as long as I can remember, I would always trade the pigskin for a round ball without hesitation. Maybe it’s my Kentucky roots. Perhaps it stems from growing up during the Michael Jordan era. Whatever the reason, though, I fell in love with basketball as a boy, partly because I did not need anyone else to play. I lost count how many times I won the Final Four and the NBA Finals just before dinner in my childhood backyard.
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Unfortunately, my playing days never rivaled those imaginary successes, but to this day I marvel over the superior athleticism, team strategy and breakneck speed that takes place on 94 feet of hardwood. With College March Madness just around the corner, high school basketball is winding down and regional tournament brackets are starting to take shape.
The Trinity Christian Academy Lions are unknown to most readers outside the state of Tennessee, but here in our little corner of the world, they are finishing up a historical season that leaves us undefeated in our district for the first time. With two of my sons on the roster, you can understand my excitement. As I watch my kids play the sport I love, I cannot help but to relive part of my childhood and reappreciate so many life lessons I learned from my coaches and teammates. Long before I went to seminary, basketball taught me so much about life and ministry.
Everyone has a role to play
Take, for example, the principle that everyone has a role to play. The beauty of a team sport is that no single athlete can succeed alone. This year, a young man named Braydon Waller became the all-time leading scorer at our school, earning him well deserved accolades. Yet, underestimating the impact of less visible contributors on our team is a sure recipe for failure. Because our entire roster learned to function as a single unit, each member now enjoys the team’s success. Doing so requires each player to accept the unique role that most benefits the team.
Who is more important, the shooter who finishes the fast-break or the rebounder who started it? Who is more valuable, the assist leader or the game’s highest scorer? Who is more vital, the defender who keeps points off the scoreboard or the hot hand who adds them? Does the teammate who leads in steals contribute more to victory than the athlete who never turns the ball over? Is the guy who cuts down the lane wide-open more essential than the individual who sets his pick? Can good players strategize without a wise coach?
In a similar way, albeit with a slightly different analogy, the Bible describes the church as the body of Christ made up of various members with different functions (Rom. 12:4–5). Despite the variety, however, we should never attach the value of an individual to their designated assignment within a Christian community (1 Cor. 12:14–26). Some water, others plant, but God works mightily through every Christ follower to accomplish His work (1 Cor. 3:4–7). Ultimately, each believer is invaluable solely because they make up the roster of faith.
Leadership
Another important lesson basketball has taught me is that everyone can’t be the coach. Throughout our season at Trinity, I have marveled over the stellar leadership of coach Dexter Williams. Our team plays suffocating, full-court defense, shoots the three like a college team, and runs like a well-oiled machine, largely because we have a coach who won’t settle for less. His ability to get the most out of every player is inspiring. Like my sons, I also benefitted from great coaching growing up. This past week I learned that my former high school coach, Tony Cox, will soon be inducted into the Madison County Sports Hall of Fame in Richmond, Kentucky. His approach was different, but I still benefit from his investment in my life.
We should not overlook, however, that even the greatest coaches receive their share of criticism. You always have parents who would do it differently, most likely to benefit their children. It’s easy for critics to question calls after the buzzer sounds or to change strategies with the benefit of hindsight. When the pressure of the moment subsides, everyone is great coach. But few can handle the constant pressure leading on the sideline brings.
Challenges of a pastor
Pastors face similar challenges. Everyone has opinions about how the church should function, but everyone cannot, and should not, be a pastor. The unique role of leading people spiritually is a special calling assigned by God Himself (Eph. 4:11-12). In addition to the required character qualities (1 Tim. 3:1–7), the Bible plainly states that not all should desire to teach the Word because those who do will face stricter judgment (James 3:1). For these reasons, Scripture admonishes believers to submit to the guidance of godly spiritual leaders without the constant grief of second-guessing them (Heb. 13:7, 17).
Finally, basketball taught me that yesterday’s victories don’t guarantee success today. I don’t yet know how the season will end for my Trinity Lions, but I am certain that the achievements of this season do not promise any success going further. Staying hungry and continuing to reach for the next milestone is key for any successful team.
High stakes
The stakes are higher in real life, but the priority remains the same. In order to take hold of what was ahead, the Apostle Paul insisted that he chose to forget what was behind him (Phil. 3:12–14). Letting go of the past is the key to continued growth and sanctification.
Yesterday’s sin often intimidates us, making it difficult for us to accept God’s forgiveness and live in victory. Previous suffering sometimes angers us, birthing a root of bitterness and suspicion in our soul. Perhaps most challenging of all, former successes can leave us wishing for our glory days, blinding us to what God desires to do in our lives today. Unshackling ourselves from the past is essential for living by God’s design in the present and future.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Adam B. Dooley is pastor of Englewood Baptist Church in Jackson, Tennessee.
