He didn’t really want it.
It was the basketball playoffs for a small college team. The winner of this game would play for a championship. The team was down by one point, and as the clock ran out, the guard took a last-second shot. The shot was off-target, and the team lost the game. At the press conference, the young man who missed the final shot was devastated as tears ran down his cheeks.
Later, a friend of the coach commented, “That player must have really wanted to make that game-winning shot”.
The coach replied with a powerful statement: “He did not want to make the shot.”
“What do you mean?” the friend asked.
The coach replied, “Every week this summer, we had extra shooting practices. This player attended none. If he really wanted to make the shot, he would have put in the work on the front end to get the result when it mattered.”
What an impactful message for our relationships and our lives.
If we are going to achieve strong, meaningful relationships, we have to invest in those relationships. We must be ready to work and grow and learn and try and fail and try again. We must lean into the hard times with determination and resilience. Relationships do not last because of feelings. They stand the test of time because of choice. Choosing to work, listen, and love unconditionally will result in long-lasting, deep relationships.
If we want relationships that last, it begins with a commitment to putting in the work needed to grow those relationships. If we genuinely want to have healthy relationships in our lives, we will choose to work on them. When we do, we will make a difference.
Larry
Check out our latest episode on the Crossing the Line Podcast:
Jacob Simmons & Tim Casper
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