Point guard Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks and “Linsanity” has been the NBA’s best mid-season story. The following are quotes on leadership and faith from the league’s newest star in a 2010 article at www.intervarsity.org when he was a senior at Harvard University. To read the full article, click here.
- “I’ve learned how to be open and bold about my faith, but in terms of my influence, I just try to lead in a godly way. What that means for me is to serve them, whether it’s just doing the dirty work, like cleaning up sweat on the floor, or deferring to other people, or carrying equipment bags.”
- “In basketball these days, the rookies and freshmen are supposed to do the grunt work, and seniors relax and hang out, but when you reverse that, or when seniors help out with some of that, it shows that you’re trying to serve them, and that’s a good way to lead.”
- “The way you talk to your teammates and push them and the way you treat them is important. There is a fine line between trying to help your teammates and criticizing them. The toughest part for me is how to keep my teammates accountable but at the same time do it in a loving way that doesn’t judge or condemn them. It’s definitely been a struggle and I’m trying to learn how to lead consciously in a way that honors God.”
- “Every day in practice I have to lead by example. But at the same time, when people aren’t doing what they’re supposed to be doing, you’re responsible as a player. You can’t rely on the coaches to say everything. The players have to be responsible and take ownership of the team. Every day in practice there are situations where you need to say something and get a message across, but do it in the right way.”
- “I need to be in the Word daily. I read and pray in the morning and at night. It helps me get off to a good start in the morning and at night I look back at what happened during the day.”
- “It’s really important to me to go to church, which is sometimes tough when I get back from road trips late on Saturday night, but I try to make it a priority to go every week.”
- “Having small group once a week gives me a lot of encouragement and accountability. Even though I go to church, I don’t really know many people there, but my real community is my small group.”
- “If you don’t have appropriate boundaries, you’ll compromise your faith. I struggled spiritually for a while and I didn’t have many Christian friends. It wasn’t until I got plugged in to a small group my sophomore year that things really started to change. I began to build a Christian community, learn more about Jesus in the Bible studies and develop relationships that helped me with accountability.”
- “Over the years I’ve learned that just because you follow God, it doesn’t mean you win every game or get what you want athletically. There is a godly way to play basketball and that’s what you’re responsible for doing. If you happen to get a championship, great, but if not, there is a lesson to be learned.”
- “I think one of the most rewarding experiences in life is to see people come to Christ and make lifestyle changes. When that happens, you definitely see God behind it. This year we’ve seen eight students make first-time decisions for Christ and when I see that, it’s a great feeling. I’m really thankful that God is changing somebody, or sometimes he’s changing me.”
- “They (his parents) make sure I have a godly attitude when I play and when I don’t, they call me out on it and make me accountable. That’s just so valuable because win or lose, whether you play well or not, you want to reflect God’s image, and they hold me to that. For that I’m very grateful. I’m very blessed by God!”
Here’s hoping Jeremy Lin has a long, prosperous career on the NBA’s biggest stage in New York at Madison Square Garden.
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