“Quinn Cook learned the hard way not to take a single minute for granted in the NBA.” That’s the headline of a recent article in The San Jose Mercury News. It’s playoff season for NBA fans and my home team The Golden State Warriors are on the brink of making a dynasty. Yet, when our star player, Steph Curry, got injured, a relatively unknown and low-profile player, Quinn Cook, got recruited and earned a spot in the playoffs because of his shift in attitude, even while playing games that may appear to not matter. Previously, according to Mercury News, he regretted his blase playing in other blowout games. However, with the Warriors, he has resolved to play as hard as he can. So much so, that he scored 11 points in 5 minutes in one of those blowout games. He then said, “I have learnt the hard way not to take a single minute for granted in the NBA”.
Life is bigger than basketball or any other sport for that matter (though ardent sports fans may strongly disagree). For me, personally, the events of the last two weeks have come to reinforce the idea to not to take a single moment for granted in life, especially when life is good.
In the last two weeks, I lost my little brother and almost lost one of my elder brothers-in-Christ. Both of them collapsed suddenly. One while playing volleyball and the other while sipping coffee. Both of them had the best medical care given to them within minutes. One was lost and the other was almost lost three times before we got him back miraculously. Both of them had been among the most amazing people I know who live life while serving and caring for others.
I am writing this blog, sitting beside the fountain in the picture above, in a hospital in Boise, Idaho. This hospital is the best hospital in all of Idaho for dealing with strokes. This hospital is also where my other brother who suffered a stroke suddenly while sipping coffee was brought in at the right time. He just got restored and took a stroll around these grounds some time ago. None of us thought that he would be alive or that he would be able to walk, even if he was alive, but he is. We thank God for that. I still do not understand the wisdom of God and why he took away my one brother and gave life to the other. But I know one thing: I do not want to take a single moment of life for granted.
So, how then should we live? Here are a few things I’ve resolved to do, after these events:
- Live for something bigger than yourself – Life is too short to worry only about me, myself, and my family all the time. God has given us life so that we can know him and live for him by loving him and others. How that happens is unique for each of us. When we are intentional and pursue that attitude, life becomes fulfilling, irrespective of the amount of time we spend on earth. Jesus said in his famous Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
- Live your dreams and don’t worry about what others will think of you. – Very often, we get too consumed by what others think about us or feel about us and so become too careful and fake about what we say, so that no one gets offended. As a pastor, it is very hard not to offend people when part of your job involves addressing the problems that are deep in our hearts and the world. But if I were to care too much about that, I might have a growing church of happy people but they would also be unhealthy people. I need to strive every day to please God and do what is right in his eyes alone while being sensitive to those around me and loving them as God loves. The Bible says in Ephesians 5:15-16, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time..”
- Live like today is the last day of your life. – When I work to do that, I will want to be more kind and loving to everyone around me. My brother Danny, who survived three massive attacks here in this hospital, joked that he will never again complain if he’s stuck in traffic or worry when a nurse wants to prick him to draw blood. He is just so thankful that he’s got a new life all over again and wants to appreciate every moment that he lives.
Maybe there is more we could do. But, for me, if I can just consistently do the above, I’ll be happy to leave this world anytime knowing that I’ll be leaving behind a wonderful legacy and heritage for the world and my family. This is my prayer.