Follow Your Shot

And now Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with boldness.  Acts 4:29

Spring is here and with it comes March Madness.  People have compiled their brackets of teams which map out how they think teams will be paired up for the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight and the Final Four.  Finally, we have our Final Four and are preparing for the Championship weekend.  Basketball season is long and uninteresting for me, but this time of year is different.  I love watching the games leading up to the Championship and of course, the big game!

My high school ladies basketball team was actually quite good, and although I didn’t play in an actual game, I was on the team for a short time. They won state for a couple of years in the late 60’s with a very talented team. How I loved to watch Jackie Lane make a hook shot!   Our coach, Mr. Malcolm, was a distinguished gentleman who was soft spoken, all business, an excellent coach, and all about the love of his girls.  He taught the fundamentals of basketball while encouraging morals, Christian beliefs, and teamwork.

One of his hard and fast rules was follow your shot.  In other words, when you shoot, don’t stand there, run toward the goal and hope if your shot misses, you can get the rebound.  During the years when I watched Rob play and now as I watch all the grand boys play, I enjoyed and still enjoy cheering on the teams.  My main criticism now a days is that the teams don’t follow their shot.  

Everyone looks at me oddly when I yell this out from the stands at the games. I didn’t see the problem, but I looked it up to see if it is indeed important, (maybe I made that up), but guess what?  It IS a fundamental.  This quote was included in a basketball website:  When working on your shooting don’t forget to follow your shot.  This is one of the most neglected fundamentals of basketball these days.  Don’t sit back and watch your shot like a spectator, go after it so that if you miss, you will have a chance to get the rebound and make another shot.  Follow it in.  copied

In life, we  can learn from this fundamental.  It takes a spirit of boldness to charge the basket after a shot to make sure you finish what you began.  The distinguishing marks of a good athlete and dedicated player lies here.  This player attempts great things for their team.  The New Testament speaks of a boldness or spirit that lies within the church.  This kind of faith attempts great things for God.

Sometimes a player thinks it’s easier to stand there and watch their shot just like Christians think it’s easier to stand back and watch others do the work of the Kingdom.  I think just the opposite is true.  It’s easier to move forward in bold faith than to err on the side of caution and timidity.

I’ll be watching for the players who follow their shot with courage and conviction.  I”ll also be praying that we, as Christians, will move forward in faith, boldness, and strength to accomplish great things for God.