"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
-Matthew 5:16
I don't know how many of you reading this know what "hack-a-Shaq" means, so I'll try my best to explain it. In the NBA, there was a guy who used to play named Shaquille O' Neal, or Shaq. He was a crazy big guy, standing over 7 feet tall and weighing over 300 pounds. He played the center position, and he was a dominant force in basketball. Hardly anyone could stop him, because no one could match his size and strength. After a couple years of playing against him in the NBA, teams found out something that Shaq was really, really, I mean really bad at: free throws.
If you don't already know, a free throw is a free shot that is awarded after you are fouled by the opposing team. While it usually benefits a player when they are fouled, it can hurt you if you are bad at shooting free throws. What teams started to do was intentionally foul Shaq before he could shoot the ball, to force him to shoot free throws. Nine times out of ten, Shaq would miss a free throw, causing his team to lose a point they should have gotten.
This tactic is still used in the NBA today, especially by the San Antonio Spurs. When a team has a really bad free throw shooter, players will intentionally foul that player. While this is beneficial for the team, it is actually a problem for the NBA. Why? Watching people shoot free throws is extremely boring for the audience. Today I was thinking about this conflict of interest in sports. The team wants to win the game, but their purpose is to entertain people. Even though the hack-a-Shaq technique helps the team, it goes against what the whole point of the NBA is. People watch the NBA to see exciting games, not to watch people shoot free throws.
Isn't it funny that this same phenomenon happens in our own life? Think about it. Our purpose is to love other people. We are to live outwardly focused lives, not inwardly focused lives. However, how often do we live only for ourselves? We only do things to benefit ourselves, even if it is at the expense of others. God calls us to be the light of the world, but we hide our lights under a bowl. Jesus didn't only die so that we could have life, He died so that the whole world can experience eternal life. I believe one of the reasons people struggle to accept Christ is because they look at Christians' lives and they see people who only think about themselves. God calls us to live for others, and to spread His love to the world.
When discussing the NBA, I missed an important point. The NBA is a business. Whatever you think professional sports are, at the end of the day, they are just businesses looking to make money. The NBA's ultimate purpose is to make money for the commissioner. The way this is done by playing in a manner that draws people into the game. If players and teams keep using the hack-a-Shaq strategy, people won't watch, and the commissioner stops making money. This is the same principle we should apply to our life. Our ultimate purpose is to glorify God, and we do it by leading others to Him. Is there something in your life that you can change to bring others to God? Is there something you need to stop doing in order to bring others to Him? Let's remember that our ultimate purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
-Smart
