Covering the Basics

I have been coaching my son's basketball team this summer. It has been a lot of fun. Zach has gotten into it and the Lakers haven't done all that bad. this Saturday, we lost a game we should have won. It was no big deal. There was no screaming or pouting or crying. The boys handled the loss pretty well also.

Last night we had practice. I talked to the boys and told them that the reason we lost the game on Saturday was that we forgot the one thing that has been a solid point for us all season: aggressive defense. The Lakers play some defense. They hustle after balls, they rebound, they run all the time. Saturday, it just didn't happen. So last night at practice we went over the basics. how to stand, how to shuffle your feet, how to attack the basketball. It was almost like the first practice of the season.

As I was thinking about it this morning, I realized there are some great parallels to our spiritual lives here. (You knew there would be, right?) Sometimes the Christian life is not about lofty theology, or passionate worship or incredible messages. Sometimes it is simply about getting back to the basics. Reading scripture, honest prayer before God, and serving others even when we don't feel like it all become the basics of our faith. Sometimes, instead of looking for the three point shot, games are won and lost with aggressive rebounds. So is our spiritual life. We must rebound from our sin, our laziness and our guilt. We must be aggressive in going after our faith in Christ.

So, what can you do today? What one thing can you do to get back the the basics of the faith?