This Nana has developed a new love over the past several weeks. For those of you who know me well, this will take you by surprise. My new love is basketball. Not just any basketball, but basketball played by the most amazing ten-year-old I know. The love of basketball runs in my family but was never something I shared until Grand Blessing #1 began to play.
March was Sweet Husband’s favorite month of the year because Saturdays in March included back-to-back basketball games. He loved watching the Indiana High School Basketball tournament, NCAA’s March Madness and of course his beloved Pacers who continued to play in March as well.
I grew up in a basketball family. In fact, when I came into this world in March, it prevented my dad from going to see his Muncie Central Bearcats in the semi-state finals at Butler’s iconic gym in Indianapolis.
Speaking of Muncie Central Basketball at Butler’s iconic gym, my dear mother was in the Bearcat cheer block during that fateful game against Milan in 1954 that inspired the movie, Hoosiers. Sixty-eight years later, she still talks about how all the air went out of the room when Bobby Plump made that final shot and a little school from southern Indiana beat the Indiana basketball powerhouse that the Bearcats were at that time.
That David vs Goliath story is a legend. Hollywood took notice and made a movie about it. The town of Milan, Indiana opened a museum celebrating the “Milan Miracle.” The man who made that final fateful shot opened a restaurant named Plump’s Last Shot in Broad Ripple and it is filled with memorabilia from the game. Bobby Plump is now eighty-four years old and says that the eighteen seconds it took to shoot and make the winning basket in 1954 changed his life.
As I mentioned earlier, the game of basketball has now extended to another generation in our family. It is so much fun to watch this sweet girl as she runs up and down the court and see the determination on her face as she throws her hands up while playing great defense. Witnessing her grow and improve in her basketball skills and her confidence in her ability to play is a joy for this Nana.
In fact, last Saturday, Sweet Grand Blessing #1, won her team’s Best Defense award. That was exciting for her and all of us!
In our world today, defense is critical. What is defense? According to The Free Dictionary, the definition of defense is as follows:
1. The act of defending against attack, danger, or injury. 2. A means or method of defending or protecting. 3. Sports The act or an instance of defending.
Amid everything we see all around us today, we must stand up to defend and protect our beliefs and morals and teach our children to do the same. I have heard it said that the best defense is a good offense. How do we create and teach our children an offense that will give them what they need to defend what is right?
The basketball league Sweet Grand blessing #1 is playing in and learning from is one example of a good offense. It is an outreach of a church in their community. Each practice and game include a devotion and prayer and the coaches lovingly guide the players while teaching them the ins and outs of the game of basketball. This is a tangible way to touch lives with the truth of God’s Word.
I believe that teaching our children what the Bible says and modeling for them how to apply that truth to everyday life is of utmost importance. Those of you who have been following my Musings for a while know this is where my heart is.
The good thing is this not only applies to our children. As adults, we too can change the culture around us if we live out the truth found in God’s Word, the Bible. Our world is hungry for that truth and the peace only Jesus can give,
Sharing our faith by our actions and standing up for what is right, even if it goes against today’s culture, will have influence in our corner of the world. It might be difficult and sound like another David vs Goliath situation, and it is. It is not impossible though. David used a simple rock to slay Goliath, changing the outcome of the battle and the culture of his country. Bobby Plump used a basketball to defeat the giant powerhouse Bearcats and changed the culture of his small town. Small everyday gestures and words that come from the heart can happen quickly and will touch lives.
Eighteen seconds is not a long time, but it changed Bobby Plump’s life. What if we gather all our courage and do something that shares the love of Jesus with those around us? It could change someone’s life for the better, it could change your life and I believe it will change the culture and direction of our world. Wouldn’t that be an amazing way to spend eighteen seconds?