So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God. 1 John 3:10
As the season begins, we all start to make our vows on how we intend to work towards a certain goal. The most important promise to make in order to achieve team success is to accept a role for yourself that puts the team’s greatest need above your own. This, however, is much easier said than done.
As players, it’s easy to say that we want what’s best for the team at the beginning of the season. The hard part is actually living that out when the season is not going well for you as an individual. It is the act of celebrating team success over personal gain that makes basketball a special game.
The opposite will destruct a team. One player who decides to dictate the success of the season on his/her own standing will become and cancer on the team. That feeling will be seen by the team and limit the potential your team once had. You will seem by others as if you don’t belong to the team.
This effect is also seen in our faith. We see in 1 John that belonging to God necessitates our ability to live and love in community with other Christians. By choosing the opposite, we reject the life that God wants us to live.
Before your season begins, ask yourself these questions to see if you are committed to the team above your own achievements.
1
Can you support your team if you are not earning the playing time you think you deserve?
2
Can you remain obedient to your coach if you are not scoring as much as you feel you are capable of scoring?
3
Can you continue to play within the system if other players whom you believe you are better than are getting more opportunities?
These 3 things can cause individual players to place more importance on themselves than the team’s success. Consistently check in with yourself and reflect on how much you want your team achieve their goals. Are your own goals more important than the team’s? If they are, your team will suffer because of it.
