Rebound!

For the last couple of months I have been privileged to help coach my daughter's Middle School Basketball team. Of course, stepping back on the floor has brought back many memories for me. I must admit the older I get, the better I was! If you have been around this age range you understand that these players are at the skill level where they miss a lot of shots. However as coaches we emphasize in order for our team to be successful, despite missed shots, we have to be relentless rebounders. In the game, the team that is able to rebound the best is most likely to win.

That's true not only in basketball but also in the game of life. Have you ever missed a shot? If we are honest, we must admit that often our shots do not connect with the goal that we have in mind. Yes we do throw up bricks and sometimes we even shoot airballs in our personal lives. However instead of hanging our heads over a missed shot, we must have the courage and confidence to rebound! This is the lesson the apostle Peter had to learn in John 21:14-17. Just days before Peter had vehemently denied that he knew the Lord. The Bible says that after doing so, Peter went out and wept bitterly. Knowing that Peter was reeling from the mistake that he had just made, Jesus our Lord, shows up after His ressurection to help Peter rebound. In this delightful dialogue we all find helpful hints in how we can also rebound from our missed shots.

First we must understand that rebounding is first about Positioning. If you watch film of some of the great rebounders in the history of basketball such as Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlein, and even Dwight Howard of today, they all have something in common besides being very tall! All of these players understand that what happens before and during the shot is just as important as what happens after the shot. They all knew that those who are in position have a better chance of gaining the rebound. The same is true for us in our lives. In order to rebound we must first seek to position ourselves properly in relation to Christ. In Luke 22:54, the Bible says that Peter was following Jesus at a distance. We like Peter sometimes find ourselves not enjoying that up close and personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It's in these times that many of our shots do no hit their target. However this text demonstrates that Jesus is always desiring for us to get back connected with Him.

Next we must understand that rebounding requires Passion. If you were to ask most players or coaches they would all agree that jumping ability, strength, and quickness play a part in rebounding. However the one who often gets the ball is the one who wants it the most. This is what caused even undersized players such as Charles Barkley, Ben Wallace, and Dennis Rodman to be such efective rebounders. They all had the passion to go after the ball with all their might. The same must be true for us as well. This is why Jesus asked Peter , "Do you love me more than these?" He went on to ask Peter about his love two other times. I believe this is critical because often what causes us to have missed shots in our lives is the fact that our love for the Lord gets misplaced. Among the many things we have on our daily schedules, somewhere our relationship seems to slip. Notice Jesus asks Peter about his passion and not his performance. See we often get it twisted. We would rather do things for God rather than having intimacy with God. But in the text Jesus lets us know that our devotion precedes our duty. Everyday we are consistently challenged to make sure that we love the Lord with all our being.
No matter how many shots you've missed, today remember you can rebound with right Positioning and Passion. Now go pull in that ball!

Peace!!!