Sometimes it looks like Russell Westbrook is an 8th grader playing basketball against 4th graders. I say “Wow!” when I watch him more than any athlete in sports.

He plays basketball like Mike Tyson boxed.

He’s tenacious and plays with a sense of urgency. It’s like he’s trying to convert the storm in him to kinetic energy. He often wears a stoic look like Tyson did—but underneath there is a tempest brewing.

He does things no guard has ever done. He has a rare combination of power and grace, explosiveness and elegance.

I think we have grown so accustomed to his highlights over the years we fail to realize his uniqueness. Someone said to me, “I haven’t tuned in to watch a single player since Jordan. But, I tune in to watch Russell Westbrook.” That says a lot.

When we watch an athlete like Russell Westbrook we might tilt toward one of two extremes. We might say “It’s all just God giving him a gift” or “It’s all just hard work that anyone could do if they set their mind to it.”

It’s undoubtedly both, and reflecting on an athlete of this caliber opens a door for us to reflect on the tension represented by these extremes.

“It’s All God” and the Couch Potato Syndrome

I recently saw an article about Russell Westbrook’s workout routine. It’s hard.

Sprints.

Lateral movements on sand hills.

Cord resistance by attaching cords to his body.

All of it gruelling work. All of it making him more explosive.

Imagine if he said, “I’m so gifted I don’t need to train or practice. It’s all in God’s hands.” If he said that he would sit on the couch and quickly lose his physical edge. We probably wouldn’t say “Wow” as much!

When I tore my ACL my senior year of high school it would have been absurd to say, “I am not going to do rehab. It’s up to God to get me back in shape for college basketball.”

Sometimes it’s easy to buy into that thinking and fail to do our part. But the Bible addresses us as people who can make choices to refine and improve the gifts we receive.

In the Garden of Eden, God told Adam and Eve to take care of what He gave them. He gave them dominion and power to rule. He gave them the ability to exercise their will.

The same applies to an athlete. As athletes we should tend to our bodies, teammates, attitudes and workouts like a gardener does a plant. God might say to an athlete, “Take care of what I have given you, and in the energy I supply, improve upon the gift.”

As stewards of what God has given us, we make conscious choices and take intentional actions to enhance the gift rather than squander it.

Legendary distance runner Steve Prefontaine said, “To give anything less than your best, is to sacrifice the gift.” Well said.

We realize that our skill level in everything, including sports, is determined by how much we refine and cooperate with God’s gifts. The belief that “I can sit and do nothing and God will do it all” is inaccurate.

“It’s All on Me” and the Master/Captain Syndrome

Imagine if a gifted athlete said, “If it’s to be, it’s all up to me. I am the master of my destiny and captain of this ship.”

That sounds catchy, but it is inaccurate too.

As athletes we realize we are utterly dependent on God for every ability, resource and provision. If God did not provide it we would not have oxygen. It’s hard to be an athlete without oxygen!

If talent, energy and desire to refine talent, and all equipment, facilities, nutrients and coaches are from gifts from God, it’s inaccurate to think “It’s all up to me.” All of those listed are unearned gifts.

The verse “what do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7) comes to mind. Since all is grace, gratitude, not pride, is the right attitude.

We are not in step with reality when we think we are self-made. Our achievements depend on many variables, many of which are beyond our control.

We depend on God and others in the most practical ways. Independence really is an illusion.

Unless a basketball player makes their own ball, hoop, team, oxygen, nutrients, transportation, socks and jersey they are not self-sufficient. There are clearly more contributors to our success than our own work ethic. No one is self-made.

Living in the Tension

As athletes we know we need to work hard. We also know all good things come from our Heavenly Father. So, “I can sit and do nothing” and “It’s all up to me” are both distortions.

How do we strike a balance?

Paul helps us out. He wrote, “work out your salvation...for it is God who works in you.” (Philippians 2:12, 13). It seems paradoxical to tell us to work if God is the one working in us. But, it speaks directly to the tension facing athletes.

Salvation, like athleticism, is a gift we “work out” as God works in us to produce results we cannot produce on our own.

God is gracious enough to give us choices which change our course and world. Yet God is Master and Captain and we are utterly dependent on Him.

Must See TV

It’s fun to watch someone who is really good. It’s also fun to watch someone who tries really hard. But it’s must-see TV when someone who is really good tries really hard!

I don’t know where Russell Westbrook is in his thinking about God, but I appreciate anybody who takes God given talent and maximizes it to its fullest potential. It’s the work and grace combined that create the “Wow!” that keeps us coming back for more!