Recent developments in the sports world and listening to Mike and Mike in the Morning today sparked a thought about change. I feel like one of the consequences of a fast-moving culture is that we expect change to happen quickly, we expect it to last, and we expect it to vault us to new heights in record time. I mean this on every level possible.
Take the Willie Randolph firing by the New York Mets in baseball. I mean, sure, the team has a lot of talent and should probably be doing better than they are, but honestly, it’s been 1 1/2 years! It’d be one thing if the players weren’t responding to him or if they were losing games because of his in-game decisions, but I don’t know that that was the case.
Now the Celtics situation is quite different. They made huge trades involving players but stuck with a much-maligned coach and seemingly incompetent general manager from a year ago. Look at them now, they went from worst to first. The fear, as Mike Greenberg points out, is that other teams will learn the wrong lesson from that situation. On the surface, it appears that the C’s turned it around due to huge changes, but in reality, what really happened? Pieces were moved but the whole was not disturbed. On the court, what won the championship? It was their DEFENSE. Dominant team defense doesn’t come about from simply adding good individual defenders. It comes from building a philosophy, a culture that commits to playing team defense, to communicating with each other, and to sacrificing individual glory for the team good.
Contrast that with what we saw from the Bulls this year. It looked like a bunch of individual players who are simply not good enough to achieve without buying into a team philosophy. The odd part is, the Celtics players were probably good enough to get pretty far by trying to play individually. But you see, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen had all tried that way on their previous teams and learned that that approach doesn’t get you anywhere but consistently booted out of the 1st or 2nd round of the playoffs against a TEAM like the Spurs or Pistons.
All that to say, it takes time for lasting change to settle in and it takes some serious sacrifice to achieve it. Now, in sports, it seems a bit dramatic and yet inconsequential to “real life”. But take my life. I’m definitely one who tries to hurry change. I want to change…but I want it now. God knows this all too well. However, it is slowly dawning on me that that same principle holds true in life. Lasting, meaningful change takes time. It doesn’t come by saying you will change. It comes from committing to follow God’s way and not my own. It comes from accepting that it will take time and it will require learning humility and learning to admit that I’m wrong.
It struck me this morning as I was journaling in just how many areas of my life I don’t know what I’m doing. Even after 10 months on this job, I’m still learning new things and consistently realize that I’m clueless. To be frank, I don’t know how to lead a small group; I don’t know how to be a loving person to those around me and close to me. The bottom line is, I don’t know what I’m doing at all and must rely on God and go on in faith. I’m sure it only gets tougher as we go. I won’t know the first thing about being a loving husband or father. I have no idea how to “do” ministry. But you know what? That’s okay. I’m learning to cut myself some slack because it was never about me anyway.
This morning, I really felt God urging me to stop and look up. There is something much greater happening. I’ve been so busy trying to perfect my own tune that I’ve stopped listening for God’s great symphony that’s been playing from before the beginning of time. God doesn’t expect me to perform alone or want me to impress Him with my creativity or talent; He wants me to get in line with the music that He’s already making. It may sound cheesy but it’s true. There’s no sense in kicking against the goads any longer. And sure, I say this now but I also understand that I will falter and I will fail. But over time, God is changing me. It may not be in my timing or at my desired pace but the change He brings about is real and it’s lasting.
So how about a little patience? Perhaps then our lives will also play out like the Boston Celtics 2007-08 season.
