One of the more famous T.V. college basketball color commentators is a guy by the name of Dick Vitale. While, he is not one of my favorite commentators, he has none the less coined a phrase that sums up this blog. “Get a T-O baby!”
Ah, you say what that have to do with anything? Being a retired high school basketball coach, I had my players call many time-outs – you are limited to 5 per game – sometimes I wished that I had 10 by the way we were playing. What’s the purpose of a time out? There are many – stopping the momentum of the other team; coming up with a strategy or plan to make it more difficult for the other team to score or defend against you; to give your team a “breather;” to remind and encourage the players of what they already know; or how to play out the last few minutes or seconds of the game.
All of this reminds me that we need to take “time outs” and spend them with God (our coach) when the game of life gets ‘side ways.’
Philippians 4: 6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Who gets to call the timeout in a basketball game? Never, as a coach, was I able to directly call a timeout. Only the players could call a timeout. While God may prompt us to call a timeout, it is up to us call it.
