Like many others, I am a huge fan of NBA Golden State Warrior guard Steph Curry, arguably the biggest superstar in all of sports right now. Curry was unanimously voted league MVP (which has never happened in the history of the NBA), and is recognized by almost everyone as the greatest shooter of all time. He and the Warriors are currently battling the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Championship Series.
About this same time last year, I wrote a post about how Steph Curry uses his huge stage to share with others how important his faith is in both his personal and professional life, and I challenged you to think about whether you are using your stage to do the same.
I hadn’t planned to write another post about Steph Curry this year – at least not until I read something he said after spraining his MCL during the first round of the playoffs. His response when asked about his injury was printed and reported in virtually every news outlet:
He felt “blessed”, he “had some angels protecting” him, he is “joyful”.
You don’t have to watch Steph Curry for long to realize that no one has more fun than Steph Curry. No one is more “chill” than Steph Curry. No one is more passionate about what he does than Steph Curry. Steph Curry lives vibrantly in a very secular world, yet he talks openly about his faith.
If a sports icon like Steph Curry does not hesitate to share how God is part of his everyday life with the tens of thousands of people who hear or read what he says, why do we sometimes hesitate, even with people in our family and close circle of friends?
Steph Curry is not advocating religious doctrine or morality. And he is not challenging people or trying to convince them of something. He is simply sharing personal examples of how his faith plays a role in his everyday life.
Here is why following Steph Curry’s example is so important:
The everyday places where we converge -- at work, at school, at family gatherings -- are less and less helpful in terms of feeding our faith. We are being told in the name of political correctness that our faith should be private and personal. That means people have to either carry their faith by themselves, or not carry it at all.
It shouldn’t be that way. Each of us can be a model, albeit an imperfect model, of how to be people of faith in a secular world.
If we do this, guess what will happen? We will become more aware of God in our everyday lives. And at the same time, we will create a groundswell of people who also bring God into their everyday lives.