14 June 2024
“Remember, you are not going to do it all right tonight, but let’s have fun, this is basketball. Keep going…” Jason Kidd
In what may be a shock to many of you, I have to confess, I am a massive sports fan. Some may even say a sports tragic.
There is no metaphor for learning or life that cannot be summed up by sport. There are no greater movies than sporting epics. Watching your team play is time well spent; even better when they win.
However, there is a pitfall. Sport can be all-consuming, all-encompassing, entirely unforgiving. For many, the tides of our life often echo the rise and fall of our team; our identity can be entwined with our performance; or gifted athletes attain God-like status. Granted, this is evident in other professions or pass-times, but it is true for sport.
Like anything in our life, if it gives us life, rather than us giving it life, it becomes dangerous.
The sport of choice for me now is the NBA final series. Celtics v Mavs. Tatum v Doncic. Millions of people across the globe, China being one of the highest, tune in to watch the NBA finals. In America 50% of the TV viewership in the age range of 18-34 watched Game One of the finals!
Like it or not, this is a big deal and has a massive influence. Winning is everything and it is all about money, fame and success.
And yet…
Jason Kidd, coach of the Mavs, and former NBA champion, said to his players before they went out on basketball’s biggest stage,
“You are not going to do it all right tonight, but let’s have fun, this is basketball. Keep going…”
His advice was not, “Your future depends on this moment, it is all or nothing, be perfect, achieve at all cost.”
His advice was based on truth that allowed his players to be human, enjoy the gift they had been given and do their best.
Another classic lesson from sport!
This is not Kidd’s original idea though, right? I would argue that over time he has realised what is most important. It is not the moments that define us, but the way we navigate them that defines us.
It is no different in the Christian faith.
When John (read in John 1:16) is telling the world that Jesus has come, the living image of God, he celebrates that from His fullness we have received “grace upon grace”.
I have heard grace defined as unmerited favour, or God’s undeserved power that works in us to make us more like God. I like both.
I love the idea that in Jesus we have the favour and power to help us live this life. God gives us opportunity upon opportunity to receive Jesus’ fullness and live how we were destined to. It is not about perfect living, or getting it right all the time. Sure, there is room to aim for that, like there is in playing well, but God recognises this is impossible for us and so shares with us His fullness, grace upon grace, to help us.
In this truth, I hear echoes of Kidd’s advice: “Remember, you are not going to do it all right today, but let’s have fun, this is life. Keep going…”
And the beauty is, it is no different in the way we seek to partner together to educate our kids. Yes, we aim to learn well, to be rigorous, to establish foundations of rock that lead to success. But, we do this by applying the grace upon grace principle. We understand we all need so many chances to succeed, and that we need team.
Good Christian education fosters a full understanding and appreciation of the importance of the moments our students live in and by God’s grace we empower our students to navigate these moments successfully – eventually.
I know it is easy to write or speak such sentiments, but the challenge is to implement them, live them, whether we are coaching in front of millions, on a stage to thousands, or in a classroom with our most important assets.
So, let’s take the pressure off for a second, put it in perspective and keep playing. Let’s daily draw upon the fullness of a gracious friendship with Jesus, who empowers us to ‘keep playing’.
Blessings,
Jonno
