Living Monstrance

Linsanity has hit the country. If you don’t know, Jeremy Lin is an Asian-American man who finally got his chance to play for the New York Knicks in the NBA and has become a superstar in a matter of days, setting records for scoring. Basketball fans around the country are amazed and can’t understand where he’s been, how everyone overlooked him. What happened?

When he was in high school, he was overlooked by every college. Stanford was right across the street, but they had no interest. He finally went to Harvard and played basketball there.

When he was done, the NBA draft came along, and nobody wanted him. Then, he got a chance and signed with a team for his first year. Last year, he got hardly any playing time, and spent some time in the minor leagues. Then, he got on with the Knicks this year, and was at the end of the bench. His position was so tenuous that he was living in a friend’s apartment, sleeping on his couch, because he wasn’t sure if he should settle down. Until there were injuries.

Well, he came off the bench and scored 20 points and the Knicks won. Then, for the next six games, he scored more points than anyone else has ever scored in their first seven games. And the Knicks won all the games.

The other day, I watched a video of him play for the first time. And then I got it.

You know, a lot of the NBA players have come right out of high school or their first or second year of college. Their whole lives, they have been superstars and they haven’t had to wait for things. They’ve been so talented, and there are always people who want to give them opportunities right away, that they haven’t had to wait. But that shows up in how they play the game. You see, the players don’t do too well at waiting for a play to develop, at waiting for the right timing of things.

Enter Jeremy Lin. He waits, he moves, he times things, he acts. That’s why he’s so good and why everyone is amazed. He shows up all the superstars.

And it’s all because he was forced to wait.

When Jesus was twelve years old, His parents found Him teaching in the Temple, dazzling all the people. I can imagine pro preaching agents offering him money to sign with them, promising superstar status and money. But he went with His parents and … waited. He waited for 18 years, and no one knew who he was. The sick people, the ones with demons, the depressed and the ones stuck in the mud of dark habits, none of them came to Him. He didn’t preach or teach. He was a nobody, on no one’s radar screen for saving Israel, much less the whole world. But he was waiting. Until it was the right time. Throughout the Gospels, you can see Jesus waiting, moving, timing, and acting. That’s why everyone’s amazed, and the religious superstars are shown up.

We may have gifts and talents that we think can make a big difference. We may not feel like we have the opportunities we should. But if that’s the case, remember that God is teaching us to wait for Him. He’s teaching us the patience we’ll need to use those gifts with Him, in the way that will make the most difference. He wants to make each of us a superstar, but His way. It can be frustrating at times, yes, but there’s a method to the madness.

Go Linsane.

Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the LORD! (Psalm 27:14)

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