Dallas Mavericks star guard, Luka Doncic, is one of the best NBA players in the league and recently became the 4th youngest (22), to score 5,000 career points (193 games).
Although Doncic is talented and impactful on the floor, he has a tough time controlling his emotions and frustrations. Last night he was ejected for a flagrant foul and is tied for the most technicals in the league (15). If he gets one more, he’ll be suspended for a game.
Doncic understands he has some work to do so the technicals don’t become an ongoing issue. During a TNT interview following last week's win, he acknowledged, "I'm complaining way too much, and I've gotta work on that. I just have to stay calm and not talk to them (refs), I have to learn from that."
He also added in his virtual press conference, "I realize it. It's something that I'm not supposed to do. with all the emotions in games, but obviously I've got to stop. It's just hard for me on the court with all the emotions, but I realize it and I've got to work on this. It's tough to do it, but I've got to work on it and be way better than this."
As we know, Doncic isn’t the only superstar to struggle with this, and the reality is, sports have a culture of complaining. Whether it’s the players, coaches, or us as fans, we can easily find something to complain about - especially when we think the refs make a bad call.
(As a side note, many who are reading this devotional don’t like the NBA and complain how the players complain too much!)
We can all admit that in sports and life, our response is all too often to complain or say, “Oh come on” when these situations arise:
Something doesn’t go our way.
We don’t get what we want.
We don’t agree with authority.
A “call” doesn’t benefit us.
Someone else gets something we wish we had.
Someone doesn’t do something the way we think they should.
We have to wait for something.
Someone doesn’t do what we want them to do.
The last one especially hits home because we're even guilty of complaining and saying, “Oh, come on” to God when He doesn’t answer our prayers the way we think He should.
When things don’t go exactly how we want them to and our default response is to throw our hands up and complain, what if we changed our approach and acknowledged like Luka did, “I'm complaining way too much, and I've gotta work on that”?
After all, the Bible says, “Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people” (Philippians 2:14-15; NLT).
By being thankful, remembering God’s past faithfulness, and acknowledging how good He is right now (regardless of our circumstances), we can combat our impulse to complain about silly things like traffic and foul calls, along with more serious life challenges.
The Bible says to “…give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18; ESV).
We also have to choose joy instead of allowing inconveniences, “bad calls,” or unfortunate situations to steal our joy and leave us focused on our complaints.
When we're aware of God’s presence and view our lives with an eternal perspective, we realize that many of the things we so easily complain about are meaningless and inconsequential. We even become eager to “move on to the next play.”
Ultimately, God is so gracious and kind to us, yet we have the nerve to complain when He doesn’t do things our way. "Oh, come on" is actually what we should be saying to ourselves when we're about to complain to the One who has given us everything!
So today, let’s make the effort to humble ourselves before Him. Let's be thankful not only for each breath and blessing but for His love and grace that allow us to know Him. Let our voices declare praises instead of complaints!
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can UNPACK that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, forgive me for my complaining, and please help me to have a better response and perspective when my circumstances are tough. I ask that You'd bring to mind everything I need to be thankful for and to give me the strength to resist the urge to complain when things don't appear to go my way. I desire to live with joy and hope, resting in Your grace and goodness. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.Discussion Questions for PACKS:
What do you find yourself complaining about the most?
Why do you think you complain about certain things?
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