Postured to Receive

I recently encountered an enchanting story, let me see if I can give you the short version without wrecking it.

Jason McElwain (age 17) managed his high school B-Ball team--took stats, cheered, etc. in Greece, NY. He has autism, and very little chance of actually playing in a game, but a couple weeks before the season ended his coach promised him that if they were far enough ahead he'd put Jason in. With just over 4 minutes to go and a double digit lead, Coach Johnson gave Jason his big break on Feb. 15, 2006.

The crowd cheered when he came in, and his teammates made sure he got a shot at the hoop. Predictably, Jason missed his first shot, and his second. I know you think you know where this is going. I've seen similar stories where the other team even helped to make sure he gets his dream, but that's not quite how it went. See Jason practiced 500 shots a day, even though he didn't have chance in heck of ever playing. Jason new the plays, and the players. He knew the bounce of the balls, where to be, and what to do. Jason was ready for a moment in the sun and he didn't do what so many of us do--what I've done on occasion. He didn't freak out when he didn't get it right the first couple times.

With 3:16 left on the game clock, Jason hit his first three pointer and didn't stop. He shot 5 more, going 7 for 13 over all, and becoming the games lead scorer with a total of 20 points. 20 points in a varsity game! In 4 minutes!

Now a lot of people would credit his dogged preparation, but I want to go a step further. I want to cast a light on his faith. I don't have a clue about his faith in God, I'm just meaning the faith it takes to prepare for what you really want, no matter how unlikely it might be. We need to live our lives as though we are going to receive our deepest desires. Here's why--because God wants us to have what we want.

It's true. Psalms 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will grant you the desires of your heart."  It's not a very well understood verse because some Christians believe our hearts are dark. Why would God give us what we want? Other Christians look at it as something that happens eventually, in heaven. Still others assume that this means we don't have to do anything to receive it, like God just drops a lottery win on the unprepared. None of that is accurate. You can bless someone right into suicide, God's not into giving us what we can't handle. Jesus said the Kingdom of God is at hand, meaning now, not someday. And while it's  true that we don't deserve to receive our hearts desires, we are made worthy in Christ.

So the reality is, our part in receiving the desires of our hearts is to live as though it's going to happen. Make a place in your life for the blessings of God. Realize that some blessings take practice on our part. We'll need to sweat a little to be in shape to do what we want to do. Relationships take enormous work but that's something most of us want. What we need is the right posture to receive what we want.

So what is it you want with all you heart, and what could you do 500 times today, that would enable you to receive what God has for you? http://youtu.be/__JQcJ-wr0M