Nothing Wasted

"I know that everything God does will remain forever; There is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him." ~Ecclesiastes 3:14

Throughout the morning and into the afternoon I was teaching 11 and 12 year olds how to add and subtract fractions, find prime factors and multiply 2 and 3 digit numbers. I enjoyed watching them wrestle with the numbers and squint their eyes in concentration. Their math skills are somewhat lacking, but their willingness to learn is motivation enough for me to want to invest in their education. Most of these kids won't go to college, some won't even go to high school, but they will have a role to play. They will be mothers and fathers, deacons and Sunday School teachers, workers and leaders. Their worth will not be measured by the number of degrees they acquire, but by the number of lives they touch. And so, as every teacher knows, we must simply invest what we have into the ones God has given us- we must give them our time, our attention, our knowledge, and most of all, our love! And we leave the rest in God's hands.

I left school as the bell rang and the kids started scurying to catch buses and taxis. Many of the kids here travel long distances on public transport every day in order to be at this school. They come from Umlazi, Mayville, and KwaMashu- townships, whose schools are even poorer and more overcrowded than this one. And so, they are mostly thankful to be here. Still, when the bell rings they gladly rush off, anxious to be home and excited to be out of the classroom.

After I left, I stopped at the shop and bought a drink to have with the sandwhich I had packed. I wasn't sure how I should spend my afternoon, and I began to pray simply that God would direct my path. I've been wanting to play basketball since last week when some of the teens who helped with HBC had chatted with me about playing sometime. I knew that they were students at DHS (Durban Boys High School) so I just decided to drive there and see if I could find the courts. Ten minutes later I was walking down the street outside the school when behind me I heard someone yell, "eeehhh, Ben!" I turned around and saw the basketball court, and the guys I had spoken to during HBC week- Lebo, Michael and Awande (the one sitting on the right in the photo above). I spent the next 2 1/2 hours playing basketball and talking with the three of them and another boy named Thabo. Thabo is in 9th grade, 15 years old, 6'2" and looks and plays like he is a senior in high school. I was quite surpised at his skill level. I found out that he is on a sports scholarship at DHS (Students pay for schooling here even though it's public education, and sports scholarships are allowed at the high school level). Thabo and I had some fun doing a lot of shooting drills together, and I found out that his brother is in New York playing for a division II college there. Thabo is playing basketball everyday, hoping he gets a chance to play in the States as well, but not letting himself get his hopes up. He asked me a lot of questions about basketball, the States and the reasons I was in South Africa. I told him that I came to work with a church, and he couldn't quite understand that one. He just shook his head and said, "I've never heard of someone leaving their home to work at a church!" We had a nice conversation about that and how following God's plan for your life is rarely what you expect but always better than you could imagine. He seemed to be doing a lot of thinking. He also said that he would be interested in coming to church with me, even though he hasn't been to church "in a long, looong time." Since he is staying in the boarding establishment at the school and his family lives nearly an hour away, Thabo doesn't have a lot of opportunities to do things, and I'm pretty sure he would enjoy the church and youth group. The other thing I noticed was that even though Thabo seemed like a quiet, somewhat reserved kid, the other guys like Lebo, Awande and Michael all looked to him as the leader simply because he is the basketball player that they all wish they could be. I have a feeling that if he gets involved, they will all get involved. So I really doubt that this is all a coincidence. I suspect that someone out there has been busy praying : )

On the way home, feeling happier and more content than I have for awhile, I couldn't help but think back over the years and how God has used basketball in my life. When I was in college, God used basketball to humble me and, I think, test me. It was then that I began to let go of basketball and the identity that I was trying to find in it. I began to see basketball simply as a tool. There were times that I regretted the hours and hours that I had "wasted" being consumed by basketball. Yet, God used that, even though for all those years I was practicing and working hard for a lot of the wrong reasons. It was during those years that I gained the skills and the knowledge that has allowed me to coach and play this game that I still enjoy, and it has opened for me more doors than I ever could have imagined. I laughed to myself today as I played with those guys because a few months ago when I left the States I thought I wouldn't play much basketball during the two years that I was here. And yet, there it was- another open door, provided by God as I do something I truly enjoy doing.

Experiences like this remind me again of Ecclesiastes 3:14. No experience, relationship or hardship is ever without purpose. It all fits into a plan that is just so big and so vast that we aren't able to wrap our minds around it. But whether we can see how the pieces fit or not, the Master Craftsman is at work, and with Him, there is nothing wasted!