My love language. Someone finally gave me a basketball analogy for following Jesus.

“What’s a basketball’s job?” I wasn’t going to say it’s for playing with or just passing around. We’re going to win this game! So I answered “the basketball’s job is to go through the hoop”. Even as I said it I could feel in my spirit something was off. He corrected me immediately: “It’s job to stay full of air.”

Nuts. He’s right. My job is not to “get ‘er done”, my job is just to be full of the Holy Spirit. I have two basketballs in my garage. The expensive Baden ball doesn’t stay inflated very long, so I almost always use the less impressive Wilson.

Imagine being the “Wilson”. As I dribble it alternates between the warm embrace of my hand and being pounded into the ground. Then there’s this exhilarating flight through the air with either the smooth swish of the net or a harsh collision with the rim. Not an entirely pleasant existence, but better than the “Baden”, which never gets touched, never scores and never gets hurt.

To be full, the ball has to get stabbed with a needle. Very counterintuitive, if your job is to stay inflated. No way to logically explain that: “Just let me put a needle in you and you’ll be bigger, not leak all your air”. Ya, right. But the balls are all designed for this. Our vulnerability to receive the Holy Spirit is not scary when you believe we were specifically created for this.