Shooting Hoops

by: Duffy

I recently had the opportunity to shoot hoops with a friend of mine, John Tolson. John is currently the Dallas Cowboys Chaplain and has also served as the Chaplain for the Orlando Magic. While John was in college he was a very good two-sport athlete and is still very young at heart while in his 60’s. John, as the case with most athletes, has a great competitive drive in him. While we were in the gym we competed in a free-throw contest. Now, I had been shooting free-throws for few weeks to prepare for this duel as he’s taken down many of our famous athletes in Dallas with his skills. I’ve always been decent free-throw shooter and felt I could hold my own. I ended up shooting 42 out of 50, 84%. I thought it was pretty good. John shot 49 out of 50, 98%! One word, "Wow!"


I learned from this time with him. If I am always comparing myself to my old performance or others below my level in this skill then I’m not that bad. I’m pretty good, actually. But now, I’ve witnessed firsthand this guy who has achieved a much higher level of (almost) perfection. Shooting hoops with a friend has helped point out that we need people in our lives that are older, wiser, more experienced in their walks and this encourages us move forward in our journey of life. Who doesn’t like a teacher/coach to show you how to do perform better? The reason he was able to make 49 out of 50 wasn’t because he just woke up that morning at a Holiday Inn, it was because he’s put the time in at the gym, missed a ton of shots, been coachable when others have showed him how to do it correctly, and worked at it over and over again. Hopefully, as I apply some of his pointers my performance on the line will improve.

Spiritually, Christ hits 50 out of 50 every time. There’s a demonstration of how to live out life that’s chronicled in the Gospels. I’ve read these over and over. Christ’s life inspires me to immolate the Way of Jesus much like I now want to have the same technique as John shooting hoops. There’s a way that I do life that’s good on most days, but a way that Christ does life that is so much better. I want my life to be more like Christ’s.