"It Was The Best Game Ever"

"It was the best game ever!" This was a statement made by my 11 year old son, Josiah, while reliving a basketball game he played in a few weeks ago. A game in which his team actually lost by 2 points. What would make a kid think that a loss he experienced was the "best game ever?" It was a game in which his team was down 23 points with 6 minutes left and they managed to make it a game in the end. They actually tied the game with just seconds left before giving up the game winner with around 6 seconds on the clock. They would actually have a chance to win or push it to overtime as the last 6 seconds ticked off the clock. They came up just short but I never witnessed a group of guys so excited about a loss. As for the parents, they were acting as if the kids had just won the championship!

As the coach of this group of young men with Salt & Light Homeschool Sports, I sat on the bench as the 4th quarter began with no real answers. My boys were smaller and outmatched on this night. I was thankful when the opposing coach, (my brother-in-law), showed mercy and pulled out his starters. After a 13 point run that cut the lead to 10, I remarked to one of my players that at least we scared them as those starters returned to close out the game. But then something interesting happened. It was as if this group of players I had counted out just minutes before, actually believed they could win. They didn't bother to take a vote of all of those present to see if anyone believed they could do it. They just believed they could win this thing and the run they had begun, they just continued regardless of who was on the floor. That 23 point lead that had shrunk to 10, just kept shrinking. Then, down by 6, our team hit a 3, which was followed by a turnover and a whistle on a 3 point attempt with under 20 seconds to go. Three made free throws later and the 23 point comeback was complete. A team that had scored 23 points in the first 3 quarters combined, finished the game by scoring 27 points in the 4th quarter!

Hats off to our opponent that night who closed out the final seconds with a bucket and a defensive stop. Still, it was one of those games where the team that lost could not be defined by what the scoreboard read at the end of the game. In our world where we are constantly fed the philosophy that winning is everything, that night it was abundantly clear that winning is not everything. Sure, it would have been great to come out of that game with the win. But the fact that a group of young men stared at what looked impossible and refused to bow their knee to the idea of impossible odds, speaks volumes about what they are made of. With every turnover and every made basket, something came alive in them and that life became contagious. By the end of that 6 minutes, every doubter in the stands, including this coach on the bench, was a believer. I remember calling a time-out when we were down by 6 and saying, "You guys can actually win this thing!" They all looked at me with this look of excitement and a gaze as if to say, "we all thought so 6 minutes ago, glad to have you on board coach!"

I hate to lose. It never feels great. This night was different though. A loss never felt so great. Although I coach these boys week after week attempting to impart basketball knowledge and applicable life skills, on this night it was the players doing the coaching. As I sat on that bench without any words of advice for them in that moment, they had plenty for me. Quietly they preached to me each and every time down the court. "Nothing is impossible!" "Impossible is only a word used by quitters!" "Impossible odds are the birthing place of miracles!" "Your ability and success is never determined by the opinions of others but it is birthed in the depths of a heart that believes anything is possible!" "Failure is not a score, its a mindset that quits when things get tough!" "Mountains weren't made to stop you, they were made to challenge you and show you what you're made of!" "The greater the opposition the sweeter the victory!"

I could go on and on with the message those boys preached to me that night as they just played a simple game of basketball. On this night, there was so much more in play beyond the pick-n-rolls, zone presses, and drop step moves. Life lessons were available for all those watching. I've witnessed a lot of games in my life as a player, spectator, and coach. I'm not sure what fits your definition of the "best game ever" but I'm inclined to go along with my son on this one, at least for the moment. "It was the best game ever!"

Author: Tim Stone

Tim is the lead pastor at Westlake Fellowship in Montgomery, Texas. If you live in the area, join us Sunday mornings at 10:30 am at 19786 Hwy 105 Suite 120 in Montgomery (beside Magnolia Diner).

www.westlakefellowship.org

Click here to get a copy of Tim's book, "Yep, Even That One: a believer's guide to loving your neighbor"