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Praying good defense
Originally appeared on spirituality.com
Recently, the Boston Celtics and LA Lakers battled it out in the NBA finals, and I was so in awe of the skill that I saw.
I watched because my husband changed the TV channel, asking with his cute little grin, “I know you don’t really want to watch this, but please tolerate it for me.” So I smiled back in agreement, since he’d watched “International House Hunters” with me, probably not his first choice!
One thing that’s so impressive is that so many of the shots basketball players make go into the basket—even though they’re expertly guarded. A lot of lesser players couldn’t even make the shot while unguarded, or might try to wait until the guard let up a little, but these guys shoot and score while the opposing team makes their very best efforts to keep them from winning.
Because it’s so natural from years of having studied Christian Science, I started drawing a spiritual analogy to what I was seeing on the screen. I began to think of taking shots on the basket as efforts to gain spiritual understanding and draw close to God, and the opposing team’s guards as representing opposition to spiritual progress.
The dynamics of a classic spiritual battle came into focus for me. I realized that there will be obstacles to spiritual progress, just as the guards always try to keep the other team from scoring. Will that stop us from “taking shots” – from persistently moving toward our goal of living a Spirit-filled life? If we don’t take shots, we won’t even get the ball near the basket.
Maybe we do go ahead and shoot, despite the difficulties, but then become discouraged if we miss and need to try again. That got me thinking, Do professional basketball players think they don’t have what it takes, just because the ball doesn’t make it through the hoop 100 percent of the time? They don’t seem to take it so personally. They move with the action on the court and maximize the potential in every situation. They aren’t easily thrown off by resistance, and even learn to work right through it because that’s the nature of the game.
So too, as we progress spiritually, we shouldn’t be surprised when the opposition to the revelation of Truth gets aggressive – in our face, even. It’s the nature of the spiritual battle.
As I study Christian Science, I’ve actually learned to feel confidence when opposition would have me intimidated, and perseverance when circumstances seem distracting or even daunting.
While pondering these things during the NBA championship, I felt a nagging sense of gloom fade. I’d been feeling discouraged about a challenging financial situation, but once I glimpsed the fact that encountering opposition didn’t mean I wouldn’t overcome the situation, I started to feel hope and even anticipation to see how things would be resolved.
As it turns out, a few days later, our income began to pick up.
In basketball, good teams win and lose all the time. In our daily spiritual “battle,” there are ups and downs. But the win is guaranteed, if we stick with God. God has already claimed us as His own, and all the opposition’s defenses can never have the power to keep us from living the life that God has designed for us.