Max’s Championship Disappointment???

You read it right. Max won the championship. It was a brutally long day beginning with a 7:30am arrival in Natomas. They won 25-7 and Max had 8 points. The second win was much closer, 26-20, with Max scoring 4 points. The final game was the Championship, a 28-23 win. Max did not score but played fantastic.

As a wonderful aside, the whole team got to meet Francisco Garcia, a Sacramento King’s player. He ‘just happened’ to be walking by the Round Table Pizza in Natomas where we were eating in between games two and three. He didn’t have to come over and talk with the kids but he did. After congratulating us on making it to the Championship, he shook everyone’s hand, including Max, and made his way to his car. I was extremely impressed.

Now for the disappointment. After celebrating the moment of the big win and exiting the gym… we all headed to the main gym where Max would receive his just rewards… A HUGE CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY. We were debating on how big it would be. Would it be two feet high? Maybe three? Would we need another room to store it? It was so exciting.

So we get to the main gym, they hand Max a T-shirt that says CHAMPIONS on it. Very cool. Then some lady took the team picture for the record books. It was all big-time-stuff. Soooo, all we needed was the big trophy and we would be on our way. What? No trophy? What the… We just won the Championship. We beat all of the Champions from all of the Sacramento Regional areas. We beat the best of the best… and they all got trophies for their ‘little’ regional victories. Hey, this is the ‘big dance.’ The T-shirt was nice, but C-MON!

Then it dawned on me this morning… I wonder if our Christian walk is a little like that. We do something for God and expect a trophy. We take a leap of faith and join a small group. Hello, God? Why isn’t my life wonderful now? Where is the trophy? We stretch out of our comfort zone and begin serving in church. Where is my prize? Where is the Championship Blessing I should be receiving? We start to tithe… why don’t I have cash flowing into my checking account? Uhhh, the blessing is the WIN, not the trophy afterward. The blessing is that you serve your Lord. The blessings are the relationships and experiences you enjoy with other believers. The obedience of doing what is right is the reward. You don’t need a ‘trophy’ in your Christian walk… you just need to enjoy the walk! When you follow the bible, you win! You don’t need a trophy to prove it.