By Staff Writer, Matt Osborne
Following Monday night’s 86-75 victory over Maryland, the South Carolina Gamecocks are just two wins away from making history in the women’s NCAA Tournament. The Gamecocks have already won two national championships under current head coach, Dawn Staley, but they haven't yet joined the ranks of legendary teams that have won a title while going undefeated through the season. South Carolina enters the women’s Final Four as the clear favorite to cut down the nets, with star players Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke leading a roster loaded with professional talent. But as proven numerous times in the past, talent alone is not enough to win a championship at such a high level of competition. For Staley, perhaps the thing that impresses her most about her current group of players is not the individual talent, but the selfless attitude many of the star players have taken in order to prioritize team success. Staley recently commented, “You've got to get some players that really believe in it and that are unified, that really see, honestly, the bigger picture. That is rare nowadays because a lot of times young people only see themselves and what they want to accomplish.” In basketball, it's important that players are willing to sacrifice individual goals and accomplishments for the betterment of the team. As followers of Jesus, there's a parallel in how we are called to sacrifice individual accomplishments for the sake of our brothers and sisters in Christ and for the sake of God’s kingdom. Philippians 2:34 (NIV) says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” Just as Jesus said He came to serve and not to be served (Matthew 20:28), so we are to understand that God has placed us in our current position not so people will serve us, but so we will serve them. Though choosing to be selfless can sometimes be challenging, it's always helpful to keep the proper perspective on the desires we have in this life. Colossians 3:2 (ESV) tells us, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” As we focus on eternal things, we may come to see the personal accomplishments we hoped to achieve aren't as important as we initially thought. We may rather decide to focus our time, energy, and efforts on serving others and making an eternal impact with our service. So today, let’s resolve to put down our selfish ambition for the sake of others. Let’s keep our minds fixed on things above so we can invest our resources in the best way to bring glory to our Father in heaven. I’m Matt Osborne and you can UNPACK that! PRAYER: Heavenly Father, please help me to become more selfless in the way I interact with others. Forgive me of my selfishness and pride, and help me to invest my time and energy in eternal things. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR PACKS:
1. What are some things that we can do to help us become more selfless toward others?
2. What are some practical service opportunities you could look to get involved with in the near future?
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