A Player’s Journey

Being Christian is like being a basketball player. There was once a child who had a dream to become a professional basketball player. The child knows some things about basketball and maybe knows the rules and the general aspect of how the game works. As the child matures and becomes more invested in the game of basketball, that child becomes a better basketball player. The child’s parents are motivating the player in every step along the way. Now training isn’t something that the child would undertake in the child’s early years. But as the child grows up, training becomes essential. As training becomes essential, setbacks become more prevalent as well.

That child becomes a teenager and gets on the high school team. That teenager then gets cut from the team. But the teenager doesn’t quit. The teenager actually works harder, seeking guidance from their parents and friends. Then next year the teen joins the team again, but this time becomes a better player and is able to be a significant part of the team. The teen never gave up and kept their eyes on the prize. The teen then gets recruited to a college team but quickly realizes college is harder than anything that they have ever faced. Before the season starts, the now young adult is made aware of the their role on the team. To the dismay of the young adult, the player was not selected to be a starter but is designated as a bench player and sees limited minutes. A year goes by, but the player’s situation is still the same. The young adult, as the player did in the past, sought counsel from their parents and friends for guidance through this setback. The young adult never ceases to practice hard and stays ready. The young adult looks back at the trials and tribulations in the past and sees just how much they had to overcome to get this spot. That even motivates the young adult to work harder.

Not until the young adult’s junior season that an opportunity was given to the player. Because the young adult was steadfast in training and practicing, the player was ready to make the best of the situation. The young adult shined in the moment and, as such, was propelled into the starting lineup. Soon, the young adult was playing as well as anybody else. In the player’s senior season, the young adult was able to be one of the best players in the league. The young adult wasn’t the best player but was still one of the better players. Graduation came and went, and it was soon time for the professional league draft.

Keeping in mind the desire to be the best player they could be, the young adult envisioned getting drafted by a professional team. Round one came and went. The young adult was not picked. Round two started, and with each pick, the dream of getting drafted faded little by little. The young adult’s expectation grew with each and every second leading up to the final pick, in hopes of getting drafted.

The commissioner walked up to the podium and stated, “And for the last pick of the draft, the team selects ...” The young adult was not picked.

The young adult was disheartened and angry. All the hard work and sacrifices the young adult made felt at that moment as being pointless and meaningless. All the work the player undertook seemed for naught. The player’s parents and friends consoled the young adult, reminding the young adult of all the things that the young adult overcame and the opportunity to accomplish even more in the future. The young adult eventually regained that internal fire that was so close to being extinguished by not being selected and seeing not being selected as a failure. The young adult realized that even being considered in the pool of possible draftees was a great accomplishment in itself. And not being picked is an opportunity to achieve growth and wisdom. The young adult kept on training and practicing for several professional teams.

Months went by, and when it seemed that the season would start without the young adult getting onto a team, the young adult was given a professional contract by a team. It wasn’t the team that the young adult envisioned, but it was a professional team. The young adult kept seeking the guidance of their parents and friends, even through the later years as a professional basketball player and after becoming an adult. The adult became a very good player, attaining awards and eventually being on championship teams. The adult looked back and realized that the team that the player placed on a pedal stool was not as advantageous as the player once thought. That team’s environment wouldn’t have allowed the player to accomplish all that the player had accomplished. The adult eventually reached retirement. The adult was continually getting counseling from the their parents and friends like the adult did as a child, through all the trials and tribulations. In fact, the adult kept on seeking counsel even at the point of the player’s retirement from ever playing the game of basketball.

If you didn’t get the metaphors, basketball is a metaphor of our pursuit in life; the child is a baby Christian; the teenager is a more mature Christian; the young adult is even a more mature Christian; the adult is at the most mature stage of Christianity but still learning from God; the retirement from the game of basketball is physical death; the training and practicing is reading the Word and praying; and most importantly, the parents and friends were a metaphor for God. We as Christians need to continually seek counsel from God as we face trial and tribulations during life. We must not give up and continue to press on. If we do, we will achieve His Will for our lives that God has set for all of us. We just need to seek God each and every day and place all our trust in Him.