I love basketball. The NBA Finals are hands-down my favorite sporting event.

This year’s matchup -- the Miami Heat vs. the Dallas Mavericks -- produced a nail-biter Thursday night. After the entire hullabaloo with LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade, even non-Heat fans have been following their story. The three deciding to use their free-agent status to join forces and make a run for the title together was controversial, to say the least.

I was just about to turn the television off Thursday night when it appeared as though the Heat had the win one more time.

I had rushed to judgment because, with 7:14 minutes left in the game, the Mavericks rallied to beat nearly every odd with a 95-93 victory.

One newscaster referred to the win as “the miracle in Miami.” With such a powerful threesome playing for the heat, few would have predicted such a turnaround.

Many have speculated that Lebron might be the best player to ever play the game. Some have even suggested that he will pass Michael Jordan, though I personally beg to differ.

Miami is a good team, but they are heavily dependent on LeBron, Chris and Dwayne. Dallas, on the other hand, has at least seven of the top players in the country. In addition to the number of star players, the spirit of the teams is different. Dallas approaches the game much more like a team, with the Heat feeling like a three-man show.

It’s never about just one. I wonder if the mighty three thought about the other talent on the team, or did they have the attitude that they could win by themselves? And perhaps they will, but when I saw Wade lying on the floor looking like “what the heck!,” I have to wonder. Dirk Nowitzki seemed to come out of nowhere. I think he surprised himself. What a game!

So often we assume that someone else is better positioned for success than we are. It seems that they have everything it would take to win.

We must be careful because that kind of toxic thinking can stifle our efforts to move into our victory. But if we believe that we can, and we have the faith that we can, just like Dallas, we can achieve our dreams, regardless of how circumstances may appear.

The book of Philippians contains one of my favorite verses. It simply reminds us to place our focus appropriately; “Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what are ahead. I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (3:13-14, NIV)

I have no idea who will take this series, and I will be glued to my television set, if God says the same. But the lesson that I draw from the game example is the importance of not feeling as if we must take matters into our own hands when we are focused on our goals. Rather, pray, trust and believe that our reward is in our faith.

May the best team receive the victory.
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Tanya Wilson is an inspirational speaker and author living in Charlotte. You can find her on Qcitymetro.com every Monday. Friend her on Facebook, or email her at tw360you@aol.com.

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