2,974

By Pastor Paul Gauche

Today’s Word: 2,974 as in… 2,974 moments of joy.

This will be a reach for some. But please go with me. I’m going to “hoop” for 350 words.

Wardell Stephen Curry is the greatest shooter in the history of basketball. That’s no longer an opinion or point of view. Steph proved it on Tuesday evening, December 14, 2021, in a sold-out arena – Madison Square Garden, no less, the Mecca of Basketball. People came from around the world to witness history.

Sixty-four seconds into the game, Steph shot the basketball from beyond the arc to tie the all-time 3-point record set by Ray Allen on February 10, 2011. Three minutes later, with thousands of cheering people standing on their feet, Steph made history with 2,974 made three-pointers.

Along the way, one sportscaster asked incredulously, “Who does that? Who does that? He’s not from here (planet earth)!”

While all of this is historic, what’s most impressive is the insight offered by Steph’s dear friend and college basketball coach, Bob McKillop. So many who play at this elite level begin with confidence. But, unfortunately for some, that confidence leads to arrogance. And then arrogance leads to entitlement. But this is not the case with Stephen Curry. From the beginning, taking his first shots on a court as a three-year-old, all the way through to his years at Davidson College, Steph played with confidence. But the pathway from confidence took Steph toward humility. And with the kind of humility seldom seen on this level, Steph moved into gratitude.

We have choices in life. We can certainly move from confidence to arrogance to entitlement. But what happens when we choose to move with confidence into humility into gratitude? It won’t make us great basketball players, but it will make us better human beings. That’s the whole point.

As long as I’ve followed Steph Curry, I’ve heard people say, “As great a basketball player as Curry is, he’s an even better human being.”

May that also be said of us. As we move with confidence into humility into gratitude, we are far better human beings.

#100days50words

Paul Gauche is the Pastor of Life Transitions at Prince of Peace. His posts are part of his #100days50words project, where he blogs about a different word each week. You can follow his project on Instagram (@pgauche) or on his blog, Thriving Rhythms.