by Bryan Cribb
Have you caught Linsanity yet? Unless you live life with sports blinders, you probably have at least noticed the meteoric rise of Jeremy Lin, starting point guard of the New York Knicks as of only a week or so ago. On Valentine's evening, this improbable hero again amazed the watching world. Lin drained a last-second 3-pointer to win the sixth-straight game for the Knicks since Lin -- a perpetual benchwarmer for his brief NBA career and only the fourth NBA player ever from Harvard -- took over as team leader. Thrust into the starting lineup due to injuries to more high-profile and highly paid players, Lin has set the ever-combustible media market in the Big Apple ablaze. The Asian American, who until recently went unrecognized even by Knicks security guards, now has spawned the highest TV ratings in recent memory for the team and galvanized the city.
What makes Lin even more intriguing, however, is his forthright Christian faith.
Labeled the "Taiwanese Tebow" by sports journalists, Lin has not shied from expressing his faith on the court, through the Internet, and in other forums. And he seems genuinely grounded in the faith. A recent Religion News Service article quoted him saying in a recent post-game interview, "I'm just thankful to God for everything. Like the Bible says, 'God works in all things for the good of those who love Him.'"
The article describes Lin's desire to play "godly basketball." As his longtime pastor asserts about him, "Very early in his life he decided to pay heed to the call of Christ to take up the cross daily and follow after him."
In an online testimony recently, Lin quotes well-known pastor/author John Piper regarding the supremacy of Christ over sports and success. Lin then states, "When Paul wrote in Philippians to press on for an upward prize, he was living for that, and it made his life meaningful (Philippians 3:15). And I realized I had to learn to do the same. I had to learn to stop chasing the perishable prizes of this earth, I had to stop chasing personal glory, I had to learn how to give my best effort to God and trust him with the results. I have to learn to have enough faith to trust in His grace and to trust in His sovereign and perfect plan. I had to submit my will, my desires, my dreams -- give it all up to God and say, 'Look, I am going to give my best effort, go on the court and play every day for you, and I'm going to let you take care of the rest.' This is something I struggle with every day. . . . Playing for great stats is nice, but that satisfaction -- that happiness -- is only from game to game. It's temporary."
Wow!
SOURCE: Baptist Press
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