07/08/2018

For two weeks, I have been praying for God’s word to speak to me regarding what to post for this week and the news about Jeremy Lin, the Basketball player came to me this morning. Through the Google search, I found it says that ‘Jeremy Lin open to playing for China in FiBA World Cup‘ by Paolo Songco Aug 4, 2018 (https://clutchpoints.com/hawks-news-jeremy-lin-open-to-playing-for-china-in-fiba-world-cup/) I was led to dig out and rework on what I wrote in 2012. How time flies and being an ethnic Chinese, I feel very proud because of him.

17-02-2012 – rework

2 Timothy 1:6 ESV

For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

It was within a day apart while fans around the world still in mourning for the sudden and mysterious death of the gifted singing artist Whitney Houston, then the ‘Nobody to Lin-sanity’has swept up the NBA over last Friday, 10/02/2012 and now it seems like the sensation that has gone worldwide:

‘A Harvard grad, a starter, Jeremy Lin had a 38-point performance for the New York Knicks against the LA Lakers last Friday. He miraculously steered his team to four straight wins.’

 Basketball was the only ball game, which I understand and love to watch when I was studying in the US, in the 80’s. Later I have lost the interest to watch it for more than a few decades. My cousin, Archie emailed me from San Francisco last night saying that he never followed the NBA, but now he is checking scores …and he is hooked. He also said that ‘it is hard to not root for the guy, a Chinese Harvard grad who can play basketball too? I was moved not only because Lin is Chinese American, but also is a Christian.

The best of all that he has shown his maturity in his walk with our heavenly Father that he has never tapped into HIS glory with his given success. And it is refreshing to see a young person, a young Christian that continually praises and to testify the goodness of his Heavenly Father in public with such boldness. I tuned into TVBS, Taiwan wanting to find out more about Jeremy.  One TV anchor was openly praising Lin’s technique and his brilliance in the game.

However, the anchor said it sincerely that he had respect for Lin’s Christian faith, but feeling uncomfortable to hear/witness Lin has reverted too much of his glory to Jesus. He even casts his doubt, the significance as Lin usually rallies his team players to pray together before each game. Again, there is no room to argue with any pre-believer over things like that. Especially when there is only less than 2% of the total population are Christians in Taiwan.

I wondered whether or not that Lin is God’s chosen instrument to win souls? To bring more Taiwanese people especially the young people into HIS kingdom as Lin originally was from Taiwan. In the mirror of Yin/Yang, People would marvel at how impossibilities (Y-)could have turned into possibilities (Y+) for Lin to be the player of NBA.

Take, for example, his height of 1.91 and body weight of average 91 kg could possibly be the hindrance (Y-) for him to play in the American Basketball Arena(Y+). Lin had a 4.2-grade point average (GPA) in high school, but two of his dream universities didn’t (Y-) offer him sports scholarships.  Even his admission to Harvard has only guaranteed him a part of their basketball teams but without providing him (Y-) sports scholarships.  As a Harvard grad and a starter, Lin’s basketball career was like on a roller coaster ride (Y-) before he joined NBA (Y+).

Evidently, Lin is proven a gifted basketball player (Y+). And it is easy for people and basketball enthusiast to cheer his success as the end result without looking into the process of his bumpy rides (Y-) such as the sense of denials (Y-) and setbacks (Y-) that he had to go through before he is at what he is now. Lin and all of his fellow believers around the world would share one common conviction that is what every good gift is from our heavenly Father (James 1:17). Lin knows that he has to rely on God’s power to go through vigorous training and to keep a sober and abstemious lifestyle as a player.

He definitely is in great needs of Father’s hand of protection to keep him from sports injuries and HIS healing virtue to be immediately upon him whenever unavoidable injuries occurred. Finally, HIS living word would always be his shield as he is in the limelight being a public figure and a star basketball player. As fellow believers, it is our privilege to cheer for Lin’s given success, but it is also our spirit of purpose to pray for him and with him that he would always be able to experience in unison with His Heavenly Father to stand firm and gain wisdom.