'March madness' and infinite possibilities
Throughout the month of March each year, the men in our house sit glued to the television watching the NCAA basketball tournament as college teams around the United States compete in this fast-paced single elimination championship.
As “March Madness,” as it’s called, began this year, our teenage daughter glanced into the family room at those riveted viewers and wondered aloud: “Isn’t it just about a bunch of guys playing with a ball, Mom? What’s the big deal?”
Her question prompted me to consider why this and other wildly popular sporting events such as US football’s Super Bowl, the Olympics, and the World Cup of soccer grip and thrill so many of us?
Two words sprang to mind. No limits. We are all inspired by athletes who push beyond the achievements and records established by their predecessors. Never accepting that they can only jump so high or hit a ball so far, or that certain speeds are just impossible, they accomplish feats that many of us would never dream of.
Couldn’t we all live our lives this way? Rather than letting our education, physical make-up, or family history constrict our potential, what if we knew that each new day is filled with endless possibilities?
Athletes are regularly demonstrating that the impossible is possible.
Sentinel founder, Mary Baker Eddy, saw the boundless abilities of men, women, and children—created in the likeness of God (see Genesis 1:26, 27 )—when she wrote in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: “We are all capable of more than we do. The influence or action of Soul confers a freedom, which explains the phenomena of improvisation and the fervor of untutored lips” (p. 89 ).
So often it seems that we are deterred from achieving a worthwhile goal by the belief that we don’t possess the necessary intelligence, physical attributes, or endurance to succeed. Yet, I have consistently been helped by a Bible passage in which Jesus explains what truly drives our achievements in life: “What gives life is God’s Spirit; human power is of no use at all. The words I have spoken to you bring God’s life-giving Spirit” (John 6:63, Good News Translation).
Anyone who has achieved greatness in any area of life has been inspired and led by spiritual initiatives such as a desire to find truth, a questioning spirit, or a compelling love. With tireless patience and perseverance, athletes are regularly demonstrating that the impossible is possible. They never give up. What sports commentators call “upsets” or “miracles” are actually common throughout sports.
Again, Mrs. Eddy offered a helpful perspective when she noted, in speaking of the “so-called miracles of olden time,” that they were “natural demonstrations of the divine power ...” (Science and Health, p. 131 ).
In life, then and now, each of us is animated, not by our own steam, but by divine power alone; and with God as our source of strength and talent, nothing is impossible. Whether in sports, business, the arts, technology, or science, human achievement will inevitably be stretched and strengthened by God’s infinite intelligence, power, and goodness.
“March Madness” provided its usual thrills this year, blended with some “miraculous” upsets and displays of courage and persistence. The games also showed once again that victory (rooted in unselfishness and fairness) is not limited to any one individual or team, but is something each of us can naturally express every day.
