CQ

Recently I discovered the beatitudes in Eugene Petterson’s The Message. This section of scripture begins to describe the nature of God’s Kingdom. I often get drawn into a kingdom that promotes the opposite of these values.

Matthew 5: 3-10
 ”You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
 ”You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
 ”You’re blessed when you’re content with just who you are—no more, no less. That’s the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can’t be bought.
 ”You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.
 ”You’re blessed when you care. At the moment of being ‘care-full,’ you find yourselves cared for.
 ”You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
 ”You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.
 ”You’re blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God’s kingdom.

I had the privilege of coaching basketball at Westside for six years and loved every minute. It was so rewarding to use the medium of sports to communicate truths about God’s kingdom. Some of the most powerful opportunities to experience these truths were through a loss or team adversity of some kind. When involved in athletics we can very easily get drawn into believing that winning is supreme. I believe that winning is not the definition of success for a citizen of Christ’s kingdom. That is not to say that it is wrong to win, but I don’t believe that it is our ultimate aim.

John Wooden is considered one of the most successful collegiate coaches of all time. He certainly won some games. In fact his UCLA teams won ten NCAA Division I national titles over the last twelve years of his coaching career. After retiring he was asked if he missed winning championships. His response was that what he missed was the practices. He was more about developing a discipline for the process than focusing on the uncertainty of the result. He described seasons that were precious to him where they did not win a championship because of a series of uncontrollable events. Based on my knowledge of Wooden and his faith, I believe that he operated from a different value system than many coaches. He once said, “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” Wooden was not concerned with winning basketball games as much as he was developing quality people.

Last week our girls basketball team played in the OSAA State Championship Basketball tournament for the first time in our school’s history. I could not be prouder of what they accomplished this season. We did not win a championship, but I do believe that our team, coach, and bookkeeper demonstrated the values of God’s kingdom. On Thursday afternoon we played Nyssa in the first round of the tournament. It was one of the strangest games I have ever seen. Our girls were in control of the game and at one point dominated the entire third quarter only allowing one basket by Nyssa. From the beginning we were in foul trouble which limited the playing time of three of our five starters. It looked like we were going to win the game until we fouled out two of our key players midway through the fourth quarter. Slowly Nyssa began to chip away at the lead. Our girls battled back and things looked hopeful coming into the final few minutes of the game. Then a crucial play stopped the game for over ten minutes. The scoreboard displayed the score as tied with a little over two minutes to go, but two of the three books did not agree with the board. The two books had documented that WCHS should be up by one point with two minutes to go in the game. This is critically important to the strategy at this point in the game. It is moments like this that we get to prove which kingdom we will serve.

After ten minutes the referee made his decision and the score would stand. Officials later confirmed that a mistake had been made by the referee. Our team, coach, and bookkeeper graciously accepted the decision and played their best, yet they came up short in the end. Nyssa went on to win the state championship, and our girls went on to finish 6th.

Our team could not have done better at the tournament. We do not measure success by trophies, championships, or reputation, but by our ability to reflect the values and economy of God’s kingdom. Well done team!

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