A new basketball season is here.
The lights are bright. The coliseum is electric. The adrenaline is high and athletes around the country are waiting for their moment to walk from the team tunnel to the hardwood for the first time, ready to shock the world.
There’s no doubt coaches have been preaching to their players to trust their training or to trust the process and make sure to do the things they’ve worked on for months to set them up for success before they put their jerseys on.
Trusting the process can mean anything from doing the work in the weightroom no one sees to recovering in the cold tub regularly or having more Meatless Mondays in your weekly meal plan than Taco Tuesdays and Thirsty Thursdays.
It’s about making daily sacrifices to go from good to great and having an assurance that the investment of time, effort and sweat will result in big returns.
But there’s more to trusting the process than striving to shoot better, break quicker, hoist a trophy, celebrate a championship in a Gatorade-soaked locker room or be crowned confetti kings and queens at the end of the season.
Trusting the process in essence is a faith journey that continues well beyond the preseason that yields more than just physical gains.
There will be opportunities to elevate your faith in Christ, to grow in grace, and ripen those fruits of the spirit (Gal 5:22-26). A new season brings a new call to deeply depend on the Lord, a chance to mature in spiritual disciplines, and an opportunity grow emotionally.
Athletes, as determined as you are, big goals can be a huge undertaking and can be overwhelming to accomplish in your own strength. The good news is that you don’t have to accomplish them alone. Be vulnerable with your teammates and be accountable for one another while striving for greatness together (Phil 2:3). Lean on the Lord and the people He puts in your path.
Athletes, know that the trusting the process to be your best isn’t all about locking up a starting job, being on a top-ranked team or gaining all-america status. Becoming a better player requires maturity and discipline in every aspect of the game. Search the scriptures and seek God’s guidance on how you make decisions, how you treat competitors, how to rebound from mistakes, and how to handle adversity.
Athletes, the true dividends of trusting the process aren’t only revealed in how you execute on gameday. The fruit of trusting the process is also revealed in how you will be transformed daily from the inside out before, during and after you step off of the court.
So yes, it’s time to do work in the paint with a new attitude for a new season. Don’t neglect to ask God to help you see the new thing He’s doing within you.
