The Spiritual Lessons of a Basketball Comeback...




Yes, I'm going to use last night's Dallas Mavericks win at Oklahoma City as the basis for a discussion about spiritual life lessons...hopefully, you won't tune out because you're not a sports fan, because life lessons are always universal, no matter the source of material!




In last night's playoff game between Oklahoma City (OKC) and Dallas, OKC led for the entire game...and for the most part, had a pretty significant lead. With about 5 minutes left in the game, their lead was at 15...not insurmountable, but it was highly unlikely that Dallas would be able to mount a comeback substantial enough to win.




Dallas took the lead for the first time...in overtime...which got me to thinking...




Sometimes, when the game seems over, it is not over. As the final minutes of regulation ticked away, and Dallas had tied the score, the fans in OKC were on their feet, rooting their hometown boys on toward victory...just a few minutes later, but before the game was over, the TV commentators observed that OKC fans were streaming out of the arena. Dejected, I understand...after losing the lead at the very end, and then headed toward a loss in overtime, many fans gave up and left early. There have been times in my life when I wanted to leave early, because the "game" wasn't going how I wanted it to go, and loss seemed inevitable. I even started to leave the Mavericks game early last night...but now, having experienced the incredible enjoyment of a miraculous comeback, I'm reminded that we should never leave the "game" before it's over. We simply don't know how our stories will end, regardless of what the story might be at any point in our lives.




Second, I was reminded that even the most incredible outcomes are achieved by "doing the next right thing." The Mavericks, down by 15, could only play one play at a time...each trip up and down the court...offensively, defensively...required a "next right thing." Get the stop on the defensive end...then, move to the next thing and score on the other end...back and forth...one step at a time. The 15 points could not be overcome by a single, momentous accomplishment...but with tedious determination...one possession at a time, the goal was achievable.




Life is like a series of possessions on the basketball court...we can only play one play at a time...but every play adds to the next, and the cumulative effect of doing the next right thing can mean great results...sometimes miraculous results!




And last...there is the very important matter of belief. Who would have believed the Mavericks could pull off that comeback? Very few of us, I'd wager...but the Mavericks believed they could do it, and as the old saying goes, "Whether you believe you can do it, or don't believe...you're right." It makes a difference whether we believe or not, because it gets harder to "do the next right thing" if you don't believe it matters!




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