November 8, 2022 - Restoration vs Retaliation

We have been marching through our rules/expectations we set for our MAD Hoops outreach… and as a reminder, these are set to Make A Difference on and off the court! Last week I shared the idea of being a “one another team” that seeks to edify/build up instead of tearing down.

BUT how do we handle “intentional fouls”? What do we do when the other person is intentional in his outburst… physically or verbally? This is a hard one… I have shared in the past that I grew up with, and still wrestle with, and “I don’t get mad, I get ahead” mentality. Yet, everything we have been sharing is that our MADness should not about anger, but about Making A Difference…

Here is the last rule we post at our outreach:

·         Player that commits an intentional foul (physically or verbally) will be asked to leave the gym… staff will determine this and then escort the player out…

At this point of the rule, we all are probably ok with it… after all there is the good of the whole at stake. We can’t allow one out of control player to mess it up for everyone… BUT doesn’t that player matter? Therefore, here is the rest of the rule/expectation:

·         …pray with player, and invite the player to return to the next MAD Hoops session.

Our goal is to Make A Difference in one another’s lives! The reality is that we all blow it sometimes and commit “intentional fouls” (often times to those we are closest to)… so we need to always be reminded of our goal…

Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

Restoration is more important than retaliation… Let’s Go MAD and love on some folks this week!

Here is the “Player’s Prayer” we have at the end of our rules/expectations… hope it is a reflection of your heart as well:

Player’s Prayer: Lord, as I lace them up today, I pray that you will be honored through my attitude and actions. I pray that others will see a difference in me. I commit that no one will work harder than I do, because you deserve my best in all I do. I commit that I will respect others – teammates, coaches, opponents. Lord, help me Go MAD (Make A Difference) on and off the court! In Jesus’ name I play and pray, Amen!