Spacing
As I write this, the 2018 NCAA men’s college basketball tournament is about to get rolling. I’m excited! My Houston Cougars are in it. And they’re pretty good!
If you get a chance to see big time basketball (NBA, Division 1, etc.) up close, do it. It’s amazing. There are ten huge people doing impossible, athletic things on a small court.
When I saw pro basketball up close, it hit me that the most important thing about the game is…spacing.
Called plays, picks, screens, dribbling, passing, and jumping are all about offensive players trying to create space for shooting. Defense is all about taking space away.
Modern life is sort of like basketball, I think. Spacing is essential.
Enough space to have a baby and not lose your job. Enough space to get sick and not go bankrupt. Enough space to lose your job and not lose your home. Enough space to take a long vacation and not ruin your career. Enough space to eat a meal with people you love. Enough space to turn off the notifications on your phone.
Practicing faith is also about creating space.
In the Bible God calls God’s people to take Sabbath, a weekly day of space when God’s people rest and breathe deep and enjoy life and remember they aren’t slaves.
There’s also the call for Jubilee, a periodically-occurring year when debts are to be forgiven and people granted the space to start over financially.
Over the years, faithful people have made space during the day for prayer; they’ve carved out time to go on pilgrimage or into silent retreat; they’ve made space to worship with others each week.
Modern life makes me feel guilty when there’s space without lots going on.
Christian faith tells me such spaces help keep my spirit alive.
If you get a chance to see big time basketball (NBA, Division 1, etc.) up close, do it. It’s amazing. There are ten huge people doing impossible, athletic things on a small court.
When I saw pro basketball up close, it hit me that the most important thing about the game is…spacing.
Called plays, picks, screens, dribbling, passing, and jumping are all about offensive players trying to create space for shooting. Defense is all about taking space away.
Modern life is sort of like basketball, I think. Spacing is essential.
Enough space to have a baby and not lose your job. Enough space to get sick and not go bankrupt. Enough space to lose your job and not lose your home. Enough space to take a long vacation and not ruin your career. Enough space to eat a meal with people you love. Enough space to turn off the notifications on your phone.
Practicing faith is also about creating space.
In the Bible God calls God’s people to take Sabbath, a weekly day of space when God’s people rest and breathe deep and enjoy life and remember they aren’t slaves.
There’s also the call for Jubilee, a periodically-occurring year when debts are to be forgiven and people granted the space to start over financially.
Over the years, faithful people have made space during the day for prayer; they’ve carved out time to go on pilgrimage or into silent retreat; they’ve made space to worship with others each week.
Modern life makes me feel guilty when there’s space without lots going on.
Christian faith tells me such spaces help keep my spirit alive.