THE BASKETBALL CONNECTION

When I was in school, I loved basketball. My grandmother bought me a brand new ball to practice with at home. That’s the one I took to school and two older boys took from me and wouldn’t give it back. I’ll place a link at the end of this post so you can read that story if you haven’t already.*

I got another ball later and discovered that I was probably better off without one. We lived directly behind one of the neighborhood stores. The owner’s son was one of my friends. Sometimes he would get off the bus at the store and stay until it closed. Many times he would come and stay at my house until just before his dad locked up. One of those times, as he was leaving, he threw a rock in my direction. We had been playing with the basketball and I was about to take it into the house with me. As he threw another rock, I ran to where it was headed and let it bounce off the ball. He threw a few more and I intercepted each of them with the ball.

Then it happened. I missed, but the rock didn’t. It didn’t hit the basketball, it hit me; Right in the midsection. I dropped the ball and hobbled into the house crying so hard I could barely see. I crawled onto my grandmother’s bed and curled up in agony. I was in a lot of pain. I lay there for what seemed like forever, then I guess I finally went to sleep. When I woke up, I was better, but for a long time, I would have sporadic pains that would remind me of that day.

I believe that was the same basketball that I later used to damage myself again. I was squatted down, using a hammer for something and the basketball was nearby. For some dumb reason, I decided to hit the basketball with the hammer. When I did it bounced off the ball and the claws hit me right in the forehead. It was quick, and it was hard, and it really hurt. I still feel stupid for doing that even as I write this. Sometimes I can’t believe all the dumb stuff I did when I was young. As I look at some of the crazy things young people do today, I try to remember how dumb I was, before I condemn them.

That story reminds me of another incident that happened with one of my sisters when we were younger. It doesn’t involve a basketball, but it does have a hammer. The house we were living in belonged to my late great-uncle. It was old and drafty. At some point in the past, someone had put plastic over the windows on the outside and used roofing tacks with cardboard as washers to keep them from pulling through the plastic. The plastic was gone so I was using a claw hammer to pull the tacks out. I had to use some force, so I was swinging the hammer a bit and I wasn’t able to get the claws under the head of each nail the first time, every time.

My sister came out on the porch to brush her teeth. She bent over to spit just as I swung the hammer. It missed the tack head and hit her head. The claws made two deep holes in her skull. Here’s the funny part. She looked at me and said, “Did you hit me?” Believe it or not, we have had several laughs about it over the years.

Several years earlier, I had damaged my own head in the gym at school. The girls’ basketball team was practicing at one end of the court. Most of them were in a single line, and they were running some drills. The other end of the court was filled with kids playing whatever they wanted. The gym was full and I was being chased by a couple of girls. I ducked and dodged several people before running through the line of practicing girls. Just as I passed through the line I saw the wall, but not soon enough. I smashed into the corrugated tin which wasn’t all that solid. It was a just little too springy. I bounced off the wall quick and hard. I ended up on my back on the concrete floor. My head hit the floor so hard that it knocked me out for a few minutes. When I regained consciousness, my teacher was standing over me, calling my name and asking, “Are you alright?”

No, I wasn’t alright. There was a huge, hard knot on the back of my head and I was in a lot of pain. I remember sitting in the office as the teachers and the Principle discussed whether or not to send me home. They finally decided to contact my family and they came and took me to the doctor. They checked me out, and took some X-rays, then informed us that I had a concussion and a fractured skull. Thankfully, that’s the closest I have ever come to having a broken bone in my entire life. I went home and recovered in a few days, and soon I was back to my old self, and back in school.

I did learn some lessons from these experiences and I have applied them to my everyday life over the years. That has helped me to become more safety-minded and I’ve avoided many other accidents that could have possibly been fatal.

God wants us to apply the lessons we learn in our everyday lives to our spiritual life. Too often, we make quick decisions, without thinking like I did in these situations. Sometimes we have to make quick decisions, but usually, we have at least a few moments to think before we leap. That’s what God wants us to do. Many of my accidents could have been prevented if I had only thought about the variables. I’ve been accused of being pessimistic because I now think about what could go wrong before attempting certain new things. I don’t see it that way. I’m not expecting only bad outcomes, I’m just weighing the situation. I think it’s irresponsible to jump into anything without first thinking about it for at least a few minutes. That’s just common sense. The Bible has plenty to say about thinking before we speak, and there are many stories where people got into trouble by doing things without thinking first.

Most people would agree that we need to take time to consider our options before we make big decisions, but we need to do the same thing with everything we do. We need to stay in constant contact with God through prayer. We need a close personal relationship with Jesus, and when we have a decision to make, even a quick one, he will guide us through the Holy Spirit who lives in our minds. Life would be so much better, for all of us, if we were so close to God that we could hear him every time he tries to speak to us. That’s what I want. How about you?

*I Forgive You Mr. Richmond (Basketball Story)

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UNPROFESSIONAL PROFESSIONALS

Recently, I had to take a trip to the emergency room. In giving the diagnosis, the attending physician used some foul language. It made me cringe so, that I was sure she saw my displeasure in my expression. Several months before that, the same thing happened at another emergency room when I rushed my friend there from work after she got her hand caught in a machine. That type of language is unnecessary, uncalled for, and UNPROFESSIONAL.

I realize it has become commonplace, but there are still plenty of people out there who don’t want to hear that kind of talk. I know I don’t. I remember many years ago when there was a lot of debate over foul language in TV, movies, and music. People who couldn’t care less said, “If you don’t like it, turn it off. That’s what the buttons are for.” I agree. What we and our children see and hear in the privacy of our own homes is up to us, but we shouldn’t have to be subjected to that kind of language everywhere we go.

I understand freedom of speech, and I’m all for it. I just think when you’re a professional, and you’re dealing with the public, you should be aware that there ARE people who don’t talk that way and are raising their children not to talk that way, and they don’t want to hear bad language or have their kids exposed to it. People who are serving the public should have respect for the people who come into their business. I know you want return customers, so how many do you think may not return because you use bad language?

I’m seeing it more and more in the professional world. I see it in emails I receive from professionals. I experienced it recently in a live training session. I see it in training videos, and lately, I’m seeing and hearing it on the news, and even from our elected officials. Totally unprofessional.

Beside the fact that it’s unprofessional, God tells us in his Holy Word that this kind of thing is unacceptable. It’s sad, but I see many Christians using foul language, and I’m not talking about just when they get angry or hurt, (which is not a good excuse either) but I’m talking about just in everyday life. Like my Grandmother used to say, “they cuss like sailors,” and they don’t see anything wrong with it.

I’m certainly not claiming to be perfect. I’ve said my share of bad words in the past, and I won’t swear on my mother’s life that I won’t again. I want to please God, though, and I need positive influences in my life. Whatever we hear and see regularly, that’s what we become like. If we allow our minds to be constantly bombarded by bad words, they tend to pop out of our mouths when we least expect it. The more we allow that to happen, the more it happens, until we’re just like everybody else. I know this to be true from my own experience.

While I’m talking to you “Professionals,” let me kindly say this: Just because my skin is the same color as yours, doesn’t mean I share your racist views about others whose skin is a different color. Please, keep your opinion on that to yourself, and just give me the service I’m paying you for. That’s the professional thing to do. By the way, there’s only one race; The human race. We’re all the same in God’s eyes.

Just a quick side-note to Christians. Stop putting other denominations down, and making fun of their beliefs. Stop calling them names, and ridiculing them because you believe differently than they do. Instead, pray for them, and maybe try and find some positive way to show them the truth you think you have. If you’ll study God’s word, you’ll discover that’s what we should be doing anyway, instead of acting like a bunch of little school kids who are being raised by Adolf Hitler. If you study the Bible every day, you’ll probably see that some of the things you believe are wrong as well. That’s all part of growing in Christ. We learn as we grow and we need to humble ourselves and realize there are others who don’t have the same level of biblical knowledge as we may have, and that there are others who are far more advanced than we may be.

We don’t all have to agree on everything to be kind to each other. That includes religion and politics. We all have our differences, and we all disagree with somebody, somewhere, on something. Some people are not always nice to others they disagree with, but disagreement doesn’t always equal hate or fear, and it’s okay to calmly tell someone you disagree with them. If someone says they disagree with you, don’t lose your mind. A soft reply turns away anger, but harsh words stir up anger (Proverbs 15:1).

Professionals, you need to act professionally. Show courtesy for your customers, and speak words of encouragement, instead of words that discourage them from returning to you in the future. This will help your business, and you as well, and it will go a long way in making our world a better place to live.

If you’re interested in knowing what the Bible says about how we should and shouldn’t talk, read “What’s Wrong With Using Profanity?”

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My Blogs
https://teddylynn.blogspot.com
https://teddylynn.wordpress.com

© 2016 Teddy Lynn – All Rights Reserved

My books are available in paperback and digital format on Amazon @ 
https://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Lynn/e/B01MZDB6L6