Isolation

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. Matthew 16:25

“Iso, Iso!” Tween, tween, hesi, drive, spin, step back, splash… 

I have watched one of the boys in my dorm practice and perform various basketball combinations on me to the point where it seems there's nothing I can do. He has understood how to read my stance, rhythm his way to the basket for an easy layup, and create enough space to shoot the ball. 

I imagined that this immaculate skill set would carry us from victory to victory against the various military schools we compete against in our JV boys' basketball division here in Germany. So, being one of the coaches, I put him in a game. Only to take him right back out. 

This unstoppable force of a player managed to turn the ball over three possessions in a row. The first was a strip, the second, a pass to the defender, and the third, because he didn’t know the rules. To my amazement, this one-on-one mastermind was clueless about playing on a team. 

I don’t mean to bash him, but rather, us. How often do we treat our walk with Jesus as one-on-one basketball games? Show up to church, sing about how good Jesus is to me, listen carefully to a sermon on how Jesus applies to me, and then ask Jesus to do life with me. Quiet times are about me and Him: ask that His will be done in my life, that He give me my daily bread, and that He forgive me my sins.

It cannot be denied that we Christians often have a Jesus and me mindset. Our lives are like an isolated ball game between God and ourselves. And the truth is, we believe we are being super spiritual because of it. Yet, in living so, we miss the point entirely. The problem is not in wanting intimacy with Jesus. The one-on-one relationship is the foundation behind our lives and, therefore, of utmost importance. But if our life is solely defined by spiritual isolation with Him, we will quickly find ourselves not walking with Christ at all. 

How can I say that? Jesus’s time on earth was consumed by brutal self-sacrifice. He was the immortal God, the creator of the universe, and instead of ruling, He served those around Him. He healed the sick, raised the dead, fed the hungry, spoke truth to the lost, and most of all, died and raised so that others could live. He told His disciples after washing their feet in John thirteen that those to whom He is Lord are to do as He did: to wash others’ feet; to serve. Jesus came down and set for us the example of the life we are called to, and the humbling reality is that ours rarely offer any resemblance to His. While He gave His life for others, we isolate ours from those who need it. While the Holy of Holies broke bread with those considered most far gone, we budget our brunch with even those we love most. 

We’ve normalized a self-indulgent Christianity in which we can hog the ball. But if Christ’s example of the life game revolved around a team, how can we possibly continue playing with Jesus alone? 

Basketball is not about how good you are one-on-one, and your Christian life is certainly not just about you. Instead of isolating, look for the open man, set a screen for your teammate, and pass the ball. Instead of showing up to life just to take, find those who need what you have to give. Jesus’ invisible presence is with us in the quiet times and isolated worship, but His face is seen in the people around us. We are called to a life of community where we get to give our all, just as Jesus did. If it costs us money, then we’ve invested; if it costs us time, we’ve spent it well, and if it means losing our lives, then we’ve found it.  

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one–I in them and you in me–so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. John 17:20-23