Lessons I learned at the state championship
Last winter, my high school basketball team was fortunate enough to make it to the state finals. Although I’d had months of sports practice, I knew I really had years of preparation for this moment because of the lessons I’d learned in Christian Science. These lessons had prepared me mentally and spiritually.
Just before the finals, I was talking to my dad about how to apply what I’d been learning about Christian Science to this game. There’s an idea in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy that I have loved and put into practice over my years of playing basketball. The section where it falls is called “Scientific translation of mortal mind” (see pp. 115–116). There is spiritual meaning to this that I’m still learning about, but the part that’s helped me so far is the three headings underneath, which are physical, moral, and spiritual. These show a progression of our thoughts away from negative traits (a mortal way of looking at things) to holy, spiritual ways of thinking. I’ve learned that by praying to God, and learning about my relation to Him, I can better understand what it means to think spiritually. But I’ve also put these categories into practice in terms of how I think about playing basketball.
My team and I have made progress in basketball over the years, leading us to more consciously express spiritual qualities.
Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.
