I saw an exciting basketball game recently where the winning score came down to the final seconds. With only a one-point difference and two seconds left in the game, a player on the team that was behind was fouled meaning he got to shoot two free throws. If he made both, his team would have won. Instead, the opposite happened. He missed both free throws, and the time ran out before they had another chance to get the ball to score. His team lost by one point.
performance-based culture
I have played enough sports to know the player probably felt like he lost the game for his team. The saddest part of this ending is that this young man is the best player on his team. He had played a terrific game. He had led his team in scoring, and had, in fact, scored a career high 30 points in the game. He even led his team in rebounds and assists. Without him, his team would have not even been in a position to have even had a chance to win. He had been great all game long… until the final two seconds. He probably left the arena that night feeling like a failure, unable to celebrate his outstanding plays throughout the rest of the game. Instead of remembering the game fondly, the memory of it will always bring him the bitter taste of failure.
This is not an uncommon occurrence as we live in a performance-based culture. If someone makes the winning shot, they are terrific. If they miss the shot, they are a failure. This is the case in education, business, art, and athletics. No matter the area of life, it is all about how one performs, and the need to perform is constant. We can make the shot today, but there will be another game tomorrow, and our value will be determined by how we perform then.
the reality of grace
Perhaps this is the reason why Christianity is both so mind-blowingly wonderful yet so difficult to grasp. Jesus tells us we do not have to perform at a certain level in order to be valuable. In fact, while we were completely against Him, He valued us enough to give His life for ours. He loves us, whether we make the shot or miss the shot which is completely antithetical to everything we experience as the norm of life. We aren’t loved, valued, and celebrated by Jesus because of what we have accomplished or how we have performed. He declares us valuable and worthy in spite of our performance. This is the incredible reality called grace. It is unconditional love, and it is so counter to our experience that it is hard for us to believe and accept.
Many people struggle because they never feel like they measure up to a required standard. They strive to perform in a way that will be enough, but it is never enough, nothing is ever enough. You can score thirty points but if you miss the last shot, you are a failure. No matter what we do, it is never enough. This, of course, is not true, but it is how we experience life. The only thing that is ever enough is the grace of God, the unconditional love we find only in Jesus Christ. The love of Jesus is always enough.
As Lent commences on Ash Wednesday, we are entering a time of introspection and prayer leading to Easter. Let us reflect on the significance of death preceding resurrection, urging readers to embrace a daily practice of surrendering self in preparation for our spiritual transformation.