I couldn’t dribble and I couldn’t shoot (still can’t do either).
I was in sharp contrast to Mike, our best player, who could do anything he wanted with a basketball. He was truly gifted.
But everyone who signed up was put on a team so I was assigned to the Blue Devils. I can testify that being on a team with such an illustrious name does not mean you will play like a real Duke Blue Devil.
I sat on the bench most of the time. I did play a few seconds of each game, mainly because I had a sympathetic coach who wanted each of us to experience the game.
One day during the final seconds of a real important contest, one of our good players was benched for some reason (fouls, maybe). I was the only sub available, so the coach put me in.
It was a desperate move.
Without anyone giving me any instructions, I knew exactly what to do. I went onto the court, the whistle blew, and the game resumed. As we made our way to our end of the court, sure enough, one of my fellow Blue Devils passed the ball to me.
I hesitated for a second, my heart beating like a bass drum. Then, I passed the ball to Mike, who was already under the basket. Mike fired the ball and it swooshed through the net.
We won the game.
I did what I needed to do.
Mike got the glory.
But I was overjoyed that I had a part in Mike scoring points in an important game.
In a similar way, God wants us to put the ball into his court, to pass the ball (our lives) to him. No matter how good we think we are, we can’t do his will unless he has complete control of our lives.
It means absolute surrender on our part.
If we will do this, God will get the glory, the Kingdom of God will advance, and we will share the joy of the win.
You may not think you’re the best player on the team, but God is not interested in skills as much as surrender.
Surrender the glory. Pass the ball that is your life to someone who knows what to do with the ball!
