College basketball is a great and exciting sport. Many people follow it with a fervor bordering lunacy. March Madness is a rite of passage for those who love the sport. If you’re not familiar with March Madness, it is the year-ending tournament that determines the national champion. What many people don’t know is that there was once a college basketball dynasty that was unprecedented and hasn’t been equaled since. This team is the UCLA Bruins.
Coach John Wooden was for many years the head basketball coach at UCLA, creating an amazing and even unbelievable record. In one 12-year period, Coach Wooden led the UCLA Basketball team to 10 national championships. Wooden also has the rare honor of being one of only three men to become a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame as a player and a coach.
John Wooden’s life and legacy are about more than winning basketball games. Wooden was a man of extraordinary character and wisdom. The foundation of Wooden the man was his deep-rooted Christian faith. Coach lived by a set of life principles he acquired from his father. One of these life principles he passed on to others was, “Make every day a masterpiece.” Coach Wooden’s calling in life was to mold young men into great people. He did that for many who were blessed to enter the circle of his life.
Coach Wooden’s life still speaks to us today. His life is a wonderful example of one person touching another for eternity. Wooden’s life reflects the Lord he loved and served. No one ever impacted the world like Jesus Christ. All those who follow Jesus are to let his lights shine from them into a dark world. Coach John Wooden excelled at doing that.
We read in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Be imitators of me just as I am of Christ.” This is the life calling of every Christian. Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12). All believers are light bearers as Christ lives in them. This is why Jesus instructed us to let our lights shine in people’s presence so they would see and give glory to God. If we hide our light, we are not bringing glory to the one who loved us with an infinite love. The darkness in this world is great, but the light is greater still.
As we live our lives every day, we have the choice to let Christ live through us. This is what the Apostle Paul was saying in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.” When a person becomes a follower of Christ, that person no longer belongs to himself; he belongs to Christ. Since we belong to Christ, and the world desperately needs Christ, our lives must display the deep love and amazing grace of Christ. People must see Jesus in us and be drawn to him. This seems like an impossible task, and it would be were it not for the Holy Spirit who lives in us to empower us to live a life of impact.
Your life can count for something eternally. You are a new creation in Christ. You are called to be Christ’s representative. Every day, you meet people who need an encounter with Jesus Christ. That encounter can come through you. Take the example of Coach John Wooden. Make every day a masterpiece.