Characterized By Light

Our local high school’s boys basketball team just played in the the state championship Saturday night.

It was the first time they had made it that far 

into tournament play since 1937.

Since McDaniel is a freshman at the school, it has been BIG FUN following this team.

As we walked into the game, I couldn’t help but feel like the movie “Hoosiers” was being played out all over again but without the small town farm community.

If that is possible.

Which it is.

Because it is March Madness, 

which makes anything possible.

Hello, Mercer beat Duke!

Unfortunately, our town is not nearly as fanatical about basketball as it is football. 

It is just shameful, how little the high school gymnasium seats.

Especially since I grew up in a very small town with a fabulous sunken gym that could seat more than the population of our town.

And it was packed every single game.

 Having said all that, our town came out in droves for the game Saturday night.

It certainly helped that the game was being played within a mile of our town.

Our community bought more tickets 

than any one high school ever had before.

Which is just so awesome.

Our seats were a bit high up for someone with a fear of heights

but we had a great view of the game.

All the starters on the team were seniors who have not only played together since the 3rd grade in various travel leagues,

but they grew up together playing pick-up games in each other’s driveways

because they are all friends.

Seriously, can you just hear that in a movie trailer?

When the starting line up was announced, the arena darkened and a spotlight highlighted each player as they ran across the floor to shake the officials hand.

I snapped a picture because it was such a powerful image

seeing these 18-year-old boys in the spotlight.

This was their moment.

I read in "Jesus Calling" this morning:

“Take time to bask in the Light of My Love.”

I immediately thought of the picture I took above.

What if we could see God’s love for us surrounding us like that spotlight surrounded each of the players?

What if we just took the time, 

a moment, 

to bask in it?

The game was a good match-up with few turnovers.

You could really tell that those seniors from our team had played together since they were little.

There was an intuitiveness in their play that only comes with time and experience.

A pass without looking.

But knowing someone was ready to receive it.

A shot-turned-assist.

Knowing someone was ready to receive it.

A crazy inbound play involving a half-court pass.

Knowing someone was ready to receive it.

You could tell they trusted each other.

Were secure in each other enough that no show boaters or hot dogs emerged.

And they held up their hands in acknowledgment of a foul.

That is all class.

We were up by 3 points with seconds to go at the end of the game.

I had just typed out the words,

“We won!”

in a text to my mom

when I looked up from my phone to see the opposing team sink a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

What?!

This is the part of the movie 

when the music gets intense.

I deleted the text to my mom and retyped that we were going into overtime.

We ended up losing the game.

But our guys never gave up.

They never seemed defeated in spirit.

They never got ugly.

I was a proud fan.

State runners up! 

Now 2014 goes down in the record books. 

McDaniel heard later that the team met their parents at a local restaurant after the game,

like they did after every in-season game,

for the last time.

The boys cried on their moms shoulders,

not because they lost the state title

but because it was all over.

They would never again play together as a team.

They would never again wear the same jerseys with their friends.

This is the part of the movie where you cry.

"You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. 

We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.”

--1 Thessalonians 5:5

My bible study note says that the term “sons of” actually means a quality meant to be characterized by the quality. 

Huh?

It goes on:

"Christians do not simply live in the light; 

they are characterized by light."

Great job, seniors!