If you know me at all, you are aware that I am a huge fan of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
You will be keenly aware of how profoundly July 4th affected my morale (and if you don’t know what happened on July 4th of last year besides fireworks and barbecues then let’s just say it was a dark day in Thunder history).
And you will know that I absolutely love the Big Kiwi (Steven Adams) and Russell Westbrook.
My family usually offers an update on where the Thunder are in the standings and on Westbrook’s statistical domination this season when I get the chance to talk to them.
Still, there’s a part of my heart that longs to be sitting in Section 314 at The ‘Peake on game night’ instead of traipsing through Africa.
But in a very cool way, God is using my excitement for my favorite team and more specifically, my love of Westbrook’s passionate play to teach me a lot.
It all started when I was saying my final goodbyes to my family before getting on a plane to India in October. I had talked to my parents, but my dad decided to text me his final words of advice.
“Attack this like David did Goliath and like Russell attacks the hoop.”
My response? “Like Russ! Got it!”
Because even though I wasn’t there when David ran at Goliath with a slingshot, I have seen Russell perform some sort of magic as he flies past defenders to get to the basket. And I think my dad’s comparison could be pretty accurate.
Fast forward to Vietnam. We are heading into month 3, but before we start ministry, our squad is meeting up for a Leadership Development Weekend (aka LDW – in case you didn’t already know, the World Race has abbreviations for EVERYTHING).
While we were there, a couple guys from my squad that I didn’t know too well at the time were explaining that one of my teammates had been talking about me. Without knowing the significance, they compared me to Russell Westbrook. Later on, I would share with them just how much that meant to me, but God still wasn’t done with using this comparison to build my faith in him.
In Cambodia, I was praying one morning, and I was picturing myself just sitting with God. My teammate, Blair Grace, told us she likes to picture herself laying in a field with God. I liked that concept, but the field wasn’t exactly my style.
So instead, I pictured God sitting in a big recliner and me climbing into his lap just like I would with my dad.
So as I was praying, God and I were sitting in the recliner, and we were watching a Thunder game together.
Initially, I was frustrated with myself for getting distracted in prayer. Let me be honest. It happens. More often than I would like.
But then I felt like God was telling me he enjoyed it. He loves watching Russ do what he made him to do. He loves watching him drive to the hoop and dunk on Kevin Durant to make a statement in a big win over the Warriors (okay, maybe now I am getting a little carried away).
And that made me smile.
God likes watching basketball with me! That’s awesome because I really love watching basketball, and I’m glad we have that in common.
But then I felt something else. It was like God was telling me He doesn’t just love watching Russ do what he is hard-wired to do from birth, he gets just as excited watching me go do the things He created me for as he does when Russ hits a buzzer beater to win the game!
And, that’s how he feels about you too!
You may never hit a clutch shot in an NBA game. You probably won’t win the All-Star MVP. There’s a good chance you won’t break the record for triple-doubles in a season.
But, that’s okay.
God loves watching you do the things He made you to do.
So go out there and do it with the same passion and the same “Why not?” spirit that drives that fiery point guard to compete every night. And as you do, picture God in his recliner cheering you on like you just won the NBA title!
