Undefeated Rule

by Adam Kronberger / Superintendent

After winning by considerable margins the first three games of the season, the CCS middle school girls basketball team I am coaching faced a more formidable opponent last week. It was obvious during the pregame warmup that our foe had spent considerably more time in the gym than we had. But we were hopeful; we were undefeated after all. By the end of the first quarter though, it was apparent we were not going to have a chance to win the game. The other team was in a different league (literally).  The girls kept looking at me to fix the situation. Wasn’t there a certain play or substitution plan that could counter the opponents much more refined skills and abilities? No such luck. 

I knew at the end of the game that I had an opportunity for important worldview formation in these young girls’ lives. Much of today’s culture encourages  the process of making excuses, blaming others, and/or not taking personal responsibility; pretending to live in a world void of cause and effect. So I asked the girls what lessons they had learned from that particular game. I was pleased with the answers discussed: “There may always be a team better than us.” “Now we know what it feels like to lose by a lot, so when we win we should win graciously.” “If we want to play like that team, we need to practice a lot more!” What important lessons! Instead of blaming the refs, or the coaching, or looking for a quick fix to bail them out, they were processing the world around them from a healthy worldview. Success isn’t the result of simply showing up, but results are a function of our own personal choices.

God loves us so much, He gave us choice. The choice to love willingly. That ability to choose allowed sin to enter the world through a poor choice by Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden known as “The Fall”. We see the effects of this sin in our fallen world both around us and inside of us. Yet God, in His love, provided us eternal reconciliation through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. All of those sins are atoned for.  

In the game of basketball, each action has an effect. Running with the ball results in a travel. Pushing the opponent results in a foul. Paul writes in Colossians 3:15, “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.” That word “rule” is the same word used to “officiate” the Olympic games. In the game of life, each action has an effect. Being diligent in schoolwork results in learning and success.  Trusting in God results in peace and joy. Pursuing healthy friendships results in relationships that provide love and support. Each of these actions require daily decisions. Just as officials help guide the actions on the basketball court, the peace of God can guide our actions in our lives. When we choose to surrender our lives to His forgiveness and Lordship, the effect is a redeemed heart and the presence of God’s peace.
 
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– Adam Kronberger / Superintendent