Consistency

Spending time with my bro and my dad has drawn more of my attention to the NBA semi-finals than I would generally give. We're keeping up with the games, players and stats and I always enjoy feeling like I'm part of the "club" with them.

Because we've spent so much time in AZ, we've always been Suns fans. And dad has especially had a good deal of respect for Steve Nash, a Suns point guard. Now, if you're not a basketball enthusiast, you may not recognize this name. He's not likely to be listed with the likes of LeBron James or Michael Jordan. He's not "infamous" like Kobe Bryant or one of the big guys like Shaq. But Steve Nash is one of the most respected players in the league for some different reasons...

(Girls, stick with me through a little sports talk! I promise there's a point! no pun intended...)

He's a beast when it comes to assists (7,000 in his career and five games with more than 20). He's the first player in NBA history to shoot 50% from the field, 44% from the three-point line and 93% from the free-throw line three seasons in a row. And he's humble and classy, to boot. Monday night, he played the entire fourth quarter with six stitches in his eyebrow and his eye swollen shut after taking a fierce elbow. And he played well.

Here's the point. Steve Nash also holds another record: he's been to the most playoff games without having ever played in the NBA finals. And he takes a lot of mess about this record. "He chokes" some people say. But, the fact of the matter is, nearly every season Steve Nash has been in the conference semi-finals. Every season he has performed just as well as the season before. Every season he has been the asset to his team that they have come to expect. Season, after season, after season...he has quielty, consistently and brilliantly brought strength and accuracy to the court.

In many of our lives, we may never see fame like the NBA finals. There may never be a roaring crowd holding up posterboards with our names creatively displayed. Other players may have shoes and stadiums named after them because of a moment of greatness. But, for us, we put a stake in the ground for today. And tomorrow, we subtly pass it, carrying it just a little further up the mountain and hammering it in. Like Steve Nash, we do our best. We bring assistance to others. We stay at our personal optimum. And, even if we're temporarily blinded by opposition, we follow our instincts and do what we know. Living by faith, not by sight. Because, even in the dark, we know exactly where the goal is.

Joyce Meyer had me smiling a few mornings ago when she said, "Most of life is just Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tues..." There's something to be said for doing the "everyday" really, really well! I hope I'm that kind of person. Consistent. The kind who knows my Monday work morning is just as important as the roaring-crowd, flashing camera moments...