One Person Really Can Make A Difference in a Person’s Life
Tonight we moved ever closer to the end of the basketball season. Tomorrow is the grand finale and awards, but tonight was an especially fun evening. Joshua and Caleb play on different teams and finally they played each other, and yes they were paired to guard each other as well. There was some excessive pushing and fouls were called (on both boys). But brother against brother soon waned as the focus of the evening.
One thing that was especially special was how the coach of Joshua’s team really tried to help and love Joshua. You see, he has not scored a basket all season, so tonight no one shot the ball except Joshua. The coach instructed the boys to always pass to Joshua and that they were to do so, until he got a basket. Well, Joshua shot, and shot, and shot, and shot, and did not get a basket until the last few seconds were on the clock. As the score board neared zero the coach was yelling for the score keepers and score board operator to stop the clock.
When he finally got the basket (at two seconds) all the parents lining the wall shouted and cheered, and Joshua smiled as big as I have ever seen him smile. He finally got a basket. What really was special what the coach who wasn’t concerned with winning, because who would really remember that this little boy’s team won against another little boy’s team on a Saturday afternoon, after twenty other games had been played that same day? They don’t even remember who won last week.
But Joshua will remember this night for the rest of his life, and how he finally got a basket, and how his coach loved him enough to have the team rally around him, support him, and love him. Love is more important than winning because it lasts so much longer.
