By Ife J. Ibitayo
It was the last game of the season. We were down by one point, and there were only a few seconds left on the clock. The referee gave me the go-ahead, and I inbounded the ball to Jorge, our up-and-coming shooting guard. As the dying moments of the game ticked away, he sprinted down the court, drove to his right, and tossed a wild shot in the general direction of the basketball hoop. It rattled around the rim and miraculously dropped in! The buzzer sounded, and we won the last game of my short and not so illustrious basketball career.
I still vividly remember the excitement of that moment. Our team attempted to carry Jorge on their back but nearly dropped him. And I beamed at my father who had made a surprise appearance to watch me play.
On the drive home, my dad complimented me by saying, “The way you play reminds me of Dennis Rodman,” the rainbow-haired power forward who won three rings with Michael Jordan. “You didn’t score much, but you proved yourself so useful they kept you on the floor for the final minutes of the game.” I didn’t know whether to be deeply offended or greatly encouraged!
The Basketball Game of Life
Since then, I’ve lived through many quarters of the basketball game of life. I’ve spent several long hours sitting on the sidelines. I’ve been begging week after week for the Coach to put me in. Now must be the opportune season. Now must be my time to shine. And sure enough, He’s heeded my request.
In a few months, I’ll be jet-setting across the country and beginning the greatest adventure of my life. I’m standing on the sidelines excitedly waiting for the next break in the action to leap onto the court. But slowly something has begun to click in my head.
In Zechariah 4:6, God says, “‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit.’” In the book of Psalms, God says, “No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength…But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear Him” (Psalm 33:16, 18). Joseph affirmed that it was God who spoke through Him (Genesis 41:16), David that it was God who fought through Him (1 Samuel 17:47), and even Jesus that it was God who worked through Him (John 5:20).
Conclusion
I’m not Michael Jordan or even Scottie Pippen. I am still very much Dennis Rodman. I’m Robin to God’s Batman. I am the sidekick, not the hero, the wingman, not the ace. I get to step onto the court, but I’m still on the sidelines, watching the great Superstar perform dazzling miracles and stunning turnarounds. And like John the Baptist, I’m learning how to accept that, “He must increase, and I must decrease” (John 3:30). Because the audience isn’t here for me. And as the ball rainbows through the air, I will remember that I had the express honor of inbounding that sick buzzer beater.
“For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.”
(Psalm 84:11)