Chris Paul and the Art of Perservering
James 1:2-4: 2 Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.
You may notice this week’s newsletter was a little late. I needed to know the outcome of the NBA Finals before I wrote this. No matter what, it was going to be centered around Chris Paul. After 16 long years in the NBA, he finally made it to the Finals. He has endured heartbreak after heartbreak, ranging from perennial injuries to himself or teammates or coming up against the buzz saw that was the Warriors dynasty. He’s gone through several trades and has been counted out more than once but now he’s here. Chris Paul reached the top of the mountain. Unfortunately the Suns weren’t able to pull it out.
CP has been my favorite Point Guard since entering the league in 2005. That’s the same year I graduated high school so in many ways, I feel like we’ve grown up together. I’ve been there watching every second of his career I possibly could. By historical metrics, he shouldn’t even be here right now. At the age of 36 he’s considered a fossil in the NBA. The numbers for shorter point guards take a steep decline after the age of 30. Yet, here he is, the only player left from his draft class.
Think about all that you’ve been through in life and yet you’re still here too. It reminds me of that old hymn we used to sing, we’ve come this far by faith, leaning on the Lord.
Trials Abound
James speaks with expectancy in this passage. Trials will come. For the overwhelming majority of us they won’t be in the form of 7-footers waiting for us at the rim. They’re more normal things like job loss, unfavorable medical diagnosis, and wayward children. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, James reminds us that things are going to happen and we have to be ready for them.
We can’t be people who only serve God when things are good. People who have the most vibrant prayer lives and energy for Christian things when all is well. When we’re riding high on the hog, it’s easy to feel like you want to serve God.
God doesn’t take a backseat to our trials. When things are bad or seem that way, it’s not a sign that God is absent from your life. Many of us have a tendency to retreat from God when in these moments when in reality, we should be running to him. We have this false idea that we need to just “focus” on what’s in front of us. No, that’s the time that we press in.
I actually hate when people say that. “Press in” is such vague Christianese. What does that actually mean? Some of us need real, practical language for what to do next.
Therefore, here are some ideas for what pressing in can mean.
Read your Bible: That may sound simple but it is in Scripture that we learn about God’s character. Knowing his character and track record of faithfulness is what brings us through the hard times.
Fasting: One of the lost spiritual disciplines. This is a time of purposeful deprivation (usually from food) for the purposes of hearing from God and increasing our communion with him.
Silence: In a world of noise it can be difficult to hear from God. Like fasting, taking time for intentional silence can allow us to hear God’s words for our lives.
Community: So many of us have the tendency to retreat when things get hard. But God has not saved us to an island. Christians are to live in community. It is when we are surrounded with likeminded people that we receive encouragement, guidance, prayer, and the help we need to get through life’s trials.
These are just some of the tools and practices that help us to see our circumstances in light of the goodness of God. Good community will also allow us to see things from a perspective we don’t have in solitude.
That piece is particularly important because we can’t endure this life alone. We want to believe we can but we know it’s not true. Chris Paul more than once had to put his team on his back. We like to do the same thing and sometimes we even win a game or two. But this method will never lead to winning it all. We aren’t playing for a ring, we’re playing for the crown of life (James 1:12).
The life of a Christian is a team sport. Your faith is personal but not private. 49 of the 59 ‘one another’ commands in the NT relate directly to life in the church. Our ability to endure isn’t the function of willpower but the Christians we live with holding us up and carrying us when necessary.
Find Your People
With that said, find your people. Two things are true: we can’t do this alone and we can’t do this with everybody. Despite what social media makes us think, we’re not meant to be friends with or keep up with this many people.
We live in wide but shallow networks. Find your people, your handful that you can truly invest in and build with. These are going to be the people that get 70% of your friend time.
Make this group as diverse as feasibly possible for you. Putting yourself in echo chambers will only stunt your growth. For some of us that may mean finding a new church home or shifting friendship priorities. That’s hard but not impossible. The care of our souls hangs in the balance. Therefore, go and find the people that will help you thrive in this world. Chris didn’t get his NBA championship but you can get the community that will help you endure to the end.