A few years ago I traveled to the coast to my boyhood home. As I pulled into my old trailer park, I noticed a group of boys parking their bikes. They walked together toward the basketball court located just inside the entrance of the park. I sat at the stop sign for a few seconds and then made a right hand turn. I made my way through the trailer park in an effort to stir up memories from the past for an article I planned to write.
I hadn’t been in my old neighborhood in thirty years. After winding through different areas in my car and exploring every road I used to know by bike, I returned to my starting point. As I pulled back in front of the park, I saw the boys playing basketball. I drove into the park, rolled down the window, and cut the engine. As I watched and listened to the boys playing, I took notice of the court.
It looked slightly better than it did when I left so many years ago. It was the same old court except the concrete rectangle had been extended all the way around by about twelve inches. At least the two goals were now the same height. The rims weren’t bent or as rusty, but of course, they still had no nets. I listened to the boys razz each other as they were playing and I thought about how my friends and I used to play on that very court almost every day.
I couldn’t help but think my friends and I deserved better.
We had mastered where NOT to step to avoid breaking an ankle on the tiny rectangular raised concrete court. We had perfected the speed and agility needed to avoid fishing the ball from one of the “lakes”(which was really a pond) in our neighborhood called Wedgewood Lakes. Chasing the ball, fishing it out of the water and tossing it in the air with a hard back spin in an effort to dry it after making a shot or dunking on a net-less rim was just a part of the game. We had skillfully learned to adjust our shots depending if our team was shooting on the short extremely bent goal or the straight rim but entirely tilted goal. The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. I couldn’t help but think my friends and I deserved better. Why hadn’t any adults taken care of our court? Why didn’t they look out for us?
WE NEED YOU TO PLAY
I was snapped out of my flashback by a boy’s voice “Hey! Hey you! Come on! We need you to play!” I hopped out of the car and made my way to the court. It was a hot, hot, hot and humid Eastern North Carolina day. If you have been in Eastern NC in the summer, you know what I’m talking about. It’s so hot you see birds pulling worms out of the ground using pot holders. When a breeze finally hits you in the back, you turn around to see where the dragon is. Anyway, I made my way onto the court and was quickly assigned to the skins(shirtless) team. My nickname became “Muscleman” even though I told them they could call me “Old Man”. We played and played. We joked and joked.
Toward the end of the game, the ball rolled toward the pond(which I was at this point thankful for because I needed the rest). I stood with my hands on my hips. Soaked with sweat, I stood gasping for air. I looked around at the boys, the court and the trailers in the background and felt an overwhelming joy and peace in my heart. I said out loud “It’s not about the rims.” “What?”, one of the boys asked. “Nothing” I said, “Let’s play.” And this is the lesson I learned and would like to share with you :
As I played basketball with boys who reminded me of myself and my friends that day, I realized the joy in our playing wasn’t about the rims. We never even noticed the rims. We certainly didn’t care about the size of the court. We had each other and we had the game. Those boys were just like me thirty years ago, getting around everywhere they needed to be on their bikes. They were taking care of each other and making the best of their circumstances each and every day. We didn’t need any adults to fix our court for us back then and they don’t need it now. It isn’t about the rims for them. It shouldn’t be about the “rims” for us, but oh my, how we get focused on just that – things.
Jesus had something to say about his:
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” – Matthew 6:33-34
ALL THESE THINGS
Sometimes in life we get focused on things. Sometimes in life we think we need things to make us happy. We need things to get a job done. We need things to accomplish a goal or task. We need things to even start a journey. We need things so we can begin to pursue a dream.
The ONLY way we should have a relationship with all these things
is through Jesus Christ.
Sometimes in life we focus so much on all these things, we MISS the important lessons and blessings in what we are actually doing and have in our lives. We focus only on all these things and we’re left with a miserable, regretful and painful MISS. We miss interacting with and adding value to others because we’re stuck staring at rusty rims. We miss out on using God-given gifts because we’re afraid we may fail. We may have to chase a ball after shooting on a crooked net-less goal, so we never take a shot. We miss our children growing up because we’re working more and more hours so we can buy a bigger house and more stuff. We’re focused on the size of the court. Focus on all these things drives anxiety, fear, worry, stress, unhappiness, feelings of failure, inability to forgive, anger, comparison, greed and pride. Why?
Because the ONLY way we should have a relationship with all these things is through Jesus Christ. The way to joy, strength and peace is focusing on His kingdom and trusting God. We have all we need in Christ. He told us this:
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not your life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” – Matthew 6:25-27
It was a blessing to return to my childhood trailer park basketball court. It was a blessing to be reminded by those boys what life is really about. It isn’t about the court. It isn’t about the rims. It isn’t about all these things. It’s about being the strongest I can be through Christ by focusing on Him and letting Him have full control of the ball, the game and the court. It’s about treasuring Christ above all things and trusting Him:) God Bless!
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” -Matthew 6:21
QUESTIONS FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION OR GROUP DISCUSSION
- When you have feelings that you ‘deserve better’ how does that make you behave? What can happen if you give these thoughts and feelings to God?
- I talk about life lessons like finding true joy and making the best of your circumstances. Describe a time in your life where you made the best of what was given to you or what you had. How did that shape your life compared to getting a gift or working hard to realize and achieving your dreams?
- Jesus Christ didn’t preach against ‘things’, rather He simply encourages us to seek God and all that is right through Him. How can that make a difference in life? What are some ways you can turn your attention to God and seek Him when ‘things’ draw your focus?
