Things were not going well. I was frustrated, angry, confused, and disappointed.
Many years ago I had the good fortune to play on the Christian basketball team Athletes in Action (AIA). I have written about some of my experience with them before.
The emotions in the first line describe my experience for at least the first half of the season that I played with them.
I wasn’t playing much at all and those emotions summed up my experience to that point pretty well. It was difficult to sit on the bench and be a spectator.
During my high school and college careers I had been a key contributor and got lots of playing time. Sitting was a new experience for me.
In hindsight, my playing time was appropriate. The level of competition we played with AIA was considerably higher than I had played in college. My game really had not grown and adapted to the point where I was ready to play and contribute on a regular basis.
I learned 3 very valuable lessons during the time I had my butt on the bench. These lessons continue to help me, at least when I remember them!
- Be an encourager – There was another guy on our team named Dave. Dave had been with AIA for a few years already and continues to work with them today. He played even less than I did but showed none of the angst that I did about his lack of playing time. Dave was the chief encourager on our team. He was the guy on the end of the bench who cheered the loudest and played the hardest in practice. He and I had many one on one conversations about my frustrations with lack of playing time. He always encouraged me to work hard because you never know what you’ll learn and you never know when you’re going to be needed. If it hadn’t been for Dave and his constant encouragement I’m not sure I would have made it through the year. The time I spent on the bench also gave me a great deal of respect, appreciation, and admiration for those teammates I had in high school and college who didn’t get to play much yet showed up for practice and worked hard every day.
- Hang in there – We live in a culture of instant gratification. We want everything right now. Most things of value require us to wait and work hard. Because of Dave’s encouragement I did continue to work hard for the most part. I must be honest and confess to times of laziness and bad attitude but, for the most part, I worked hard. As we started to get into the second half of the season I began to recognize the growth in my game. Apparently, the coaches saw this as well and my playing time began to increase. As I have been building my speaking, coaching, and training business over the last five years I have wanted to quit more often than I care to admit. Slowly, the hard work and patience are beginning to pay off. Success takes time. Hang in there!
- Enjoy the ride – While I didn’t get to play much at all during my early time with AIA I did have some amazing experiences. When I first joined the team we went on a 3-week trip to Taiwan to play in a big international basketball tournament. I sat on the bench but I got to go to another part of the world! My teammates were from all over the country so I got to meet some amazing people that I never would have met if I hadn’t been a part of that team. I grew as a basketball player and, even more importantly, grew in my faith and as a person aside from sports.
As we head into 2016 I pray you will have a courageous year and be incredibly blessed through whatever comes your way, good or bad.
As I look back at my time on the bench I recognize another lesson I learned. Blessings often come in the challenges we face. Those challenges put us in a position to make a choice. We can choose to feel sorry for ourselves and wallow in our self-pity or we can search for the lessons and growth in the challenge.
In 2016, I encourage you to be an encourager, to hang in there when times get tough, and to enjoy the ride!
James 1:2-4
Have a Strong and Courageous day!
