Favorite Sports Quote

I am a huge fan of John Wooden.

He reached goals in NCAA basketball with his UCLA Bruins that will likely never be met by anyone else. In his 27 years leading the Bruins they never had a losing season. His record of 88 consecutive winning games is unheard of...not to mention his record 10 NCAA championships.

Coach Wooden understood and experienced success, both as an athlete at Purdue University and as the coach of the Bruins. He is actually the only person to be inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame twice...once as an athlete and once as a coach.

With that in mind, check out this quote:

"I always tried to make clear that basketball is not the ultimate. It is of small importance in comparison to the total life we live. There is only one kind of life that truly wins, and that is the one that places faith in the hands of the Savior. Until that is done, we are on an aimless course that runs in circles and goes nowhere."

In that one quote is the message we strive to get across in sports ministry. Our relationship with God is more important than anything.

How easy is it to lose focus of that? I am a competitive guy. I love to win. It is easy for me to let winning become the highest priority. My initial goal for playing basketball in our church league was to build relationships. There have been games, however, that I focused all of my attention on winning the game and those relationships I said I wanted to build took a hit.

Hebrews 12:1-2 reminds me to stay focused.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

It is not easy, but living a life that is focused on Jesus and ridding oneself of all that hinders us from doing so is one of true success.

In living that life we have to decide everyday to purposefully focus on Christ.

As Coach Wooden said, basketball, or whatever the case may be for you, is not the ultimate.