Automatic pilot

The Advanced Bible Study Series (ABSS) in Germany always sends me home with plenty of new thoughts and lessons on which to ruminate. Some of them even come from the teaching during the day, but often my most important challenges come from discussion in the afternoon during a walk in the snow, or from the activities during the day. This time a real chewy thought came from a basketball game.

Those who know me know that I love to play basketball in Gemünden at ABSS. Yes, this study week is always held in February in the Taunus area of Germany. This is also one of the other reasons I love to go – to get my “snow fix”. In Belgium we don’t usually get much snow. Gemünden does. So last year we played basketball on a court covered with about 5 inches of snow (imagine dribbling on that). This year the snow stayed away and we had a clear court.

It is always a challenge to find folks to play. Doyle Kee is always out there, and I am always ready to play, but finding others willing to test their bodies is usually a test in marketing skills. We play for fun, so those who don’t know how to play are always welcome. And that is where many of my lessons come from. Do I really play for fun? How fair do I play and when am I too competitive? Do I focus on what matters and on helping my teammates or on my own misgivings and failings? Sports are great for life lessons.

This year we had the pleasure of playing with someone who had only ever played rugby. I still remember the first time I learned about rugby (at our Bible camp in the Ardennes). I am from the United States, so I know a little bit about playing with a stange shaped ball. I tackled a guy running with the football and brought him down and was quite pleased with myself, until he simply got up and ran further, finally celebrating hysterically in the endzone. But I had tackled him! He was down! Ah, yes, but in rugby one does not stay down (oh – there’s a good lesson!). Which is why rugby players don’t just tackle you, they take you out! They don’t pull anything, but barrel on forward in order to stop any forward motion.

So, back to the basketball court in Germany, our new player (who has previously only played rugby), quite quickly understands that he must defend against the guy with the ball and keep him from reaching the basket. After a few rough exchanges and the explanation that basketball is a non-contact sport (in principle anyway) he tries to adapt his behaviour. But it is not easy to learn stopping on a dime, like basketball players do. It is especially hard when you have always been used to going full-steam ahead until the opponent stops!

By the third day things were working a bit better, but I was already churning through what might be an important lesson. Some attitudes and actions are highly and firmly ingrained into us from an early age. And the more we have “practiced” them, the more ingrained they become. Simply explaining to someone that things are to be done differently (changing the game rules) doesn’t change everything right away. The person might understand completely what they are to do, they simply can’t do it right away.

Am I then willing to be patient, even taking some rough hits, while my brother learns to adapt his behaviour? And then I thought about all the people who had been so patient with me (are so patient with me). Had I simply expected and taken for granted that they would be patient with me? Now there’s plenty to chew on. Thank you, those of you who have been patient, who are still putting up with me and who have taught me part of what is now starting to sink in.