Sometimes we all need a shift in perspective.
When I was in high school, playing basketball was one of my favorite things.
One summer, I attended a basketball camp at Drury University in Springfield, Missouri. At the time, Drury’s Head Coach was Missouri Sports Hall of Famer Gary Stanfield.
One day we were doing drill rotations around the gym. Coach Stanfield came over to critique my shooting technique. My shooting arm wasn't "following through," so he gave me a couple of things to do to fix it. I listened intently, stepped up to the line, and took another shot.
It was evident by the look on his face that my shooting woes were far from over.
Trying to redeem myself, I smiled and said, "Practice makes perfect, Coach."
He kindly but bluntly replied, “No, it does not. Practice doesn’t make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.”
At that moment, Coach Stanfield shifted my perspective on the concept of practicing anything. (I later learned that quote originated with legendary football coach Vince Lombardi. Regardless, my ears heard it first from Coach Stanfield.)
“Practice doesn’t make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.”
Practice is the process of developing and refining a skill. From sports to music to Christianity, success requires practice. Practicing something wrongly, however, just further ingrains poor behavior. Eventually, practice will make those bad behaviors permanent in our lives. (My first guitar teacher spent a month of lessons correcting bad strumming habits I had “taught” myself.)
Only improving how you practice will bring improvement.
“Only perfect practice makes perfect.”
The New Testament book of James is a practical book on what it means to live out the Christian faith. James refuses to let us settle for practicing the Christian life incorrectly. There are over fifty commands in the book of James. That's a lot of "Do this!" and "Don't do that!"
James aims to perfect how we practice the Christian life.
As a high schooler, it was a blessing to have Coach Stanfield help improve my shooting. How much more are believers in Christ blessed to know the Spirit of God within us is ever-working to grow our daily walk with Christ.
The Word of God wielded by the Spirit of God does the work of God in the people of God.
James is only five chapters in length. It’s a short but potent read.
Find a quiet space where you can focus on the Lord. Prayerfully ask God to speak to you through His Word then read through the book of James in a single setting.
As you read, what verses jump out at you? What commands in James challenge your current practice of Christianity? What sins does James challenge you to avoid? Knowing there will be no change in our daily lives without the Lord’s help, how should what jumped out at you inform your prayers for the Lord’s help today?
God never commands us to do something without also offering us the strength to do it. So ask Him for help. Remember that part of prayer is verbally expressing our dependence on the Lord for our continued spiritual growth.
Only perfect practice makes perfect.
There’s always something more God wants to teach us, something more of Him He wants us to experience, something more He wants to do for us, in us, and through us.
Lean into God’s Word. Lean into God’s Help. Experience the MORE of the obedient Christian life!
Written by Dr. Patrick R. Findley
Photos by Danny Lines and freestocks on Unsplash