Because of my love for basketball I find myself often thrust
into the middle of debates over how good players are… whether it be the typical
question of the greatest of all time, or even a debate over if a particular player
is any good. (The answer to the first question I will not give [even though I
do have an opinion] as it leads to just further debate with no way of a true
conclusion; yet the answer to the second question, when discussing pro or
college players, is a definitive “YES” he or she is very good, or else he/she
would not be in the uniform!)
But the point of this week’s musings is not on if a
player is good, but how do we gauge how good the player is… As a fan I have
come to a point that I no longer am attached to a specific team; I tend to be a
fan of individual players and I often try to keep track of how they are playing.
So how do I keep track? I don’t have cable or satellite tv… nor do I have the
time to watch a bunch of games… therefore, I am left with the box score… and
even though a box score is not a complete picture, it does let me see how the
players performed in basic areas.
I find that I am immediately drawn to the areas the player
is most expected to perform in… i.e. if it is a big guy I like to look at his
stats for rebounds; if a point guard maybe I start at the assists column; if a shooter
I find myself looking at the shooting percentage; and great players I simply
look across the board at the basic stat line… points/rebounds/assists.
The column I tend to look at last, if at all, is the
turnover column. The reason for this is that it can be the most deceiving stat.
Turnovers are going to be committed much more often by the players that have
the ball in hand the most, and the players that are most trying to make things
happen. John Wooden used to say, “the doer makes mistakes.” If I see a stat
line with 0 turnovers, but the rest of the line is 0’s also… I am not
impressed.
This long intro is because other than the sports debates,
I also hear/read often the political and moral rantings… in other words, we,
the church, are known much more for what we are against than what we are for…
it is as though the first, and only, line of the “box score” we tend to look at
is the “turnovers.” I often mention the fact that we (Christians) are known
much more for what we are against than what we are for…
Part of this is because we have always been told that
good little Christian boys don’t drink, don’t cuss, don’t smoke, don’t chew… or
go with girls that do! In other words, we have been defined by what we avoid…
this is like saying, “the guy is a good basketball player… he doesn’t travel,
doesn’t double-dribble, doesn’t stay in the lane too long…”
Bottom line is that I want us to focus on being difference
makers… focus on the positive stat lines in our lives as believers; in fact, if
living this way even the world will see it… I know way too many believers that
live clean (few turnovers) but simply do nothing on the positive side and are “invisible’
to the world.
1 Peter 2:12 having your conduct honorable among the
Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good
works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works and
glorify your Father in heaven.
Good works = the Greek word ergon… meaning any business
or task we undertake should be focused on excellence before the Lord… on a
positive stat line of getting things accomplished! It doesn’t say the world
will notice what we avoid… they will notice what we do and how we serve with excellence.
(This week is about how we are viewed… but next week I plan
to hit on how we view the opposing team’s box score…)
