The Rock
I based my whole life on a t-shirt which read: “Basketball is life and the rest is details.”
I had finally reached the pinnacle of my basketball career. All the sacrifices, hard work, and persistence had finally paid off. I was going to the 1996 Olympic Games. We were representing Canada, competing against the world’s best, chasing after a gold medal. This was it.
I thought basketball would take care of all my insecurities. I worshipped basketball. To worship something is “to ascribe great worth to it”. I was somebody because I played basketball. I was accepted. Basketball was my identity. It was something I could totally rely on – it would never let me down, it would always be there for me. I trusted basketball. It became my god.
Two weeks before the Olympic Games, I injured my knee. I had to sit on the sidelines and watch my team struggle throughout the Olympic Games filled with feelings of frustration and helplessness. My dream had become my nightmare.
After those games, other areas of my life came crashing down. I lost my coach. I was mad at the world. I had changed from being an encouraging, motivating, people person, to a cold person I didn’t like very much. In 1997, I decided to return to the National Team with hopes of redeeming myself from my terrible Olympic experience. The team needed to qualify for World Championships. It was another disappointing summer — we came up short and didn’t qualify.
The one good thing that happened that summer was when my team-mate told me about her experience with Athletes in Action. I decided to go on the USA fall tour with Athletes in Action. It was through AIA that I learned what it meant to have a relationship with Jesus. I realized that I had worshiped a created thing instead of the Creator of all things. I was building my life around things that could easily be taken away. I needed something permanent.
Jesus said, “A wise man builds his house on the rock that stands firm, while the foolish man builds his house on sand which comes crashing down.” In basketball, players sometimes refer to the ball as “the rock.” But this is not the rock that stands firm. I learned that sometimes God’s way of getting our attention is by showing us that we have misplaced priorities. He asked, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, but forfeit his soul?” Sure, its nice to make an Olympic Team, but there is more to life.
I had built my life on “the rock,” only to find that it was sinking sand. Now I no longer build my life on basketball. Jesus Christ is THE Rock. He is the foundation that can not be shaken. Jesus Christ is my life.
Take a look at your life. How would you describe it? Contented? Rushed? Exciting? Stressful? Moving forward? Holding back? For many of us it’s all of the above at times. There are things we dream of doing one day, there are things we wish we could forget. In the Bible, it says that Jesus came to make all things new. What would your life look like if you could start over with a clean slate?
Living with hope
If you are looking for peace, there is a way to balance your life. No one can be perfect, or have a perfect life. But every one of us has the opportunity to experience perfect grace through a personal relationship with God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.
Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.
Is this the life for you?
If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.
