Discovering Who I Am

I was at the park last night with my kids, sitting on a bench listening to my new iPod Touch (love it!) when a car pulled up and three guys got out with a basketball. They proceeded to change their shirts and looked like they were getting ready for some serious basketball– at least two of them did; the third must have been there just to watch, I concluded, based on several factors: He was short and stocky, with a very long upper body and very short legs (exaggerated by the sagging, over-sized shorts he was wearing). He did change his shirt along with the others which revealed a back brace. He moved as if his back was all but broken, almost waddling as he walked. “These two other guys are going to play circles around the short one,” I said to myself as it became apparent he was going to play, too.

Boy, was I proven wrong! He never moved faster than a walk (or waddle), while the other two ran. He only occasionally side stepped or spun around, while the other two pulled all sorts of fancy moves. As the three of them seemed to be playing some kind of game of 21, he somehow ended up with the ball most of the time. He would just casually reach out as one of them flew by and the ball would just magically stick to his hand. He made almost every shot he took, no matter how far away from the basket he was. I was astounded and fascinated! I couldn’t take my eyes (eye) off of him as he casually strolled around the court, beating the other two seemingly more capable players without breaking a sweat.

I thought to myself, “Isn’t this just how it is with this crazy world.” You just can’t judge a guy by the shorts he is wearing. Maybe this is why we are not supposed to judge people at all. And how often do we send negative identity messages to others based on conclusions we jump to looking at outward appearance? I wonder how often this basketball player was put in a box by others, like I did. And how often did it go beyond judging from a distance to making jokes and snide comments at his expense? Even worse; how often do guys like this never reach their potential because they believe what others say and then give up?

This incredible basketball player must have had some great motivator to transcend the judging and teasing he must have received. He had someone who believed in him, or an exceptional environment of grace such as the other two players seemed to give him. Not everyone is that fortunate and more than most never reach their potential because they do not have that someone special who will look beyond the outward and see their true identity and destiny. I will be a bit slower to jump to conclusions next time I see a car pull up at the park.