Thursday, February 23, 2012

What Men Want: It's Linsane!





Dating. It's a topic that lots of Christians talk about; however it's really hard to talk about love and relationships from a biblical point of view, because the only relationship that matters in the scriptures is the one between us and God. However, He's not blind to our issues, so there is something to be discovered in the Bible about romantic love. God sees us, but I might be blind to the issues from a man's perspective, so I asked my friend - and fellow blogger - John Lin to help me out with a GUEST POST!

Side note: only a dude would compare Love & Basketball...smh.
About John: Johnny is a teacher in Virginia.  He has been a Christian since 2007, and a sports junkie his entire life.  He is also in no way related to Jeremy Lin.  Check out his blog at johnnyteacher.blogspot.com.

Alright folks, first guest post ever starts...NOW!

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February 4, 2012

Krissy K approached me a few days ago about writing an entry in her dating series.  I understood the purpose:  to get a guy’s perspective on the Christian dating scene.  I said "yes", but inside I thought:

“What the heck am I going to write about?  I’m not exactly the resident expert on dating!”

You see, I’m 34 and single, and don’t exactly have women knocking down my door to go out with me.  Or even talk to me.   After my sister gave up her possessions and her cell phone to become a missionary 2 years ago, the number of female phone numbers in my address book was reduced by 50%. 

OK, so maybe I’m exaggerating just a little bit.  The point is, please take what I’m writing with a grain of salt.  So… what am I looking for in a woman?  Well, let’s start with…

Hold on, the Knicks are playing! I can only do 1 thing at a time.  Yes, I realize I’m playing into all the male stereotypes that are out there.  No I won’t explain illegal defense right now, wait till commercial break.  Huh?  There’s an Asian kid playing?!?!

3 Weeks Later

WOOHOO!!!!  How bout those Knicks?  In 3 weeks time, they went from an NBA team in name only to a playoff hopeful and (dare I say it?) championship contender.  Let’s see, where was I?  I left off at what I’m looking for in a woman.  Well, let’s start with… I want her to be Jeremy Lin.

OK maybe I’m pushing this Linsanity thing a bit too far, but hear me out before you email Krissy and tell her never to let me blog for her again.


“I just want to make sure that I’m not doing a disservice to my team by milking all the attention because at the end of the day, that’s not what I love.  I love playing basketball.”

I love this quote by Jeremy Lin.  First, he graduated from Harvard with a degree in economics.  He could do anything, really.  But he loves basketball, so he chooses basketball.  And in my analogy, basketball is Christianity.  I want a woman who chooses Christ through thick and thin, and loves Christ above all things.

If basketball is Christianity, I’m the New York Knicks.  With or without a wife, I’m a Christian.  A born again, God-is-the-most-important-three-things-in-my-life Christian to be sure.  In the same way, the Knicks – with or without Jeremy Lin – are still a basketball team.  Not just a basketball team, but an NBA team that plays in the world’s top basketball league.

The Knicks aren’t satisfied with being a middling NBA team; their goal is to win a championship.  Likewise, I’m not satisfied with being merely a Christian.  I want to grow closer to God and achieve in Him the plan He has set aside for me according to Ephesians 2:10.

Enter the Lin-possible…

Jeremy Lin isn’t the most physically gifted player in the NBA.  He just so happens to fit exactly what the New York Knicks need to make them a championship caliber team.  His role is that of a point guard, and while what he does on a game-to-game basis changes, his best attribute is that he plays his position well, plays with a team mentality, and allows the team to help his star shine the brightest. 

The woman that we, as Christian men, should be looking for isn’t necessarily the prettiest girl in the church (I originally typed ‘physically gifted’, but thought better of it – that could have generated the mother of all misinterpretations!), but rather the one that fits what we need to grow closer to God and help us achieve what God has planned for us.  Her role is that of a teammate, and our relationship makes her a better person and drives her closer in her relationship with Christ.  The one I’m looking for is the one that makes me a better person and Christian, and who understands that there are times where I need her to bear more of my burden just like there are times where she needs me to bear more of her burden. 

One of the biggest reasons that Jeremy Lin has become such a media sensation is because he defies what has come to define NBA basketball players.  He is humble, down-to-earth, unselfish, and his teammates love playing with him – you can see their joy written on their faces in a manner seen more with children than with multi-millionaire athletes.  Oh yeah, he’s unabashedly Christian and takes every moment to credit God for the success and hardship which he endured, both which were part of God’s divine plan to prosper him and gave him hope and a future in accordance to Jeremiah 29:11.

Proverbs 12:4 says, “A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown.”  In my life, I pray for this noble character.  Dating and marriage – like the long NBA seasons – isn’t bliss, so I also pray for myself in this regard.  And, I pray for Jeremy Lin – the metaphorical one, and also the real one.

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