Stay the course.

The best way to answer your critics...

I was never a great basketball player, but I was an above average defender. I would get handed difficult assignments and would work very hard to contain my opponents success.

As much as I talk, I didn’t jaw much while playing, unless it was in jest. The reason was simple, I was always struggling to catch my breath!

I’ll never forget a particular game when I was assigned a high scoring, dynamic player. He regularly scored in the middle to high 20s, which was phenomenal for our league. It was late in the game and stout defense had held him to single digits. He kept up a verbal barrage the whole game. I said nothing but grunt, sweat, and breathlessness.

It was very late in the game. We were winning. He was jawing. He said, “Ain’t you got nothing to say?”

In a bit of arrogance and frustration, I said, “Nope. The scoreboard is doing my talking.”

He elbowed me in the mouth and knocked out one of my teeth.

See, the scoreboard was indeed doing my talking. That comment wasn’t necessary. In the heat of the moment I’d forgotten my own values. I’d allowed a tough game to change my strategy.

Don’t misunderstand me, what the other player did was wrong, in bad taste and sportsmanship, and against the rules. He was thrown out of the game.

None of that changes that I allowed frustration to throw me off my game.

Let me put it simply, the best way to answer unjust critics is to keep living according to your high calling in Jesus. Let the scoreboard of righteous living speak for you.

Furthermore, let’s simply serve Master Jesus and let the Lord handle the critics.

Keep on doing right. Keep on walking with Jesus. Stay the course. Let the scoreboard do your talking.

Paul said, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9 ESV)