Linsanity continued...

Continuing from last week's post about Jeremy Lin, it has been crazy, but he has continued his amazing play, and has continued to cause a media firestorm in the sports world.

It's in moments like these:

that might overshadow the pain and toil that results in great success.

Even as my Facebook wall has been exploding these past couple weeks with links to Jeremy Lin articles or videos, there was one that stood out to me. In this article, it details how it was Jeremy Lin's faith in God that helped him get through the hard times.

In case you did not know, Jeremy Lin's rise in the NBA has been astounding, and it seemed to come out of nowhere. Even though he had a fairly good basketball career, he ended up being an undrafted economics major out of Harvard. However, he later made a splash during the NBA summer league and attracted some attention, and was eventually picked up by his hometown team, the Golden State Warriors. But Jeremy Lin's journey until this year has been challenging.

As the first article talks about, Jeremy Lin's first year was frustrating for him, because he saw a limited role on the team with an average of 9.8 minutes and 2.6 points per game. But on December 9, the Golden State Warriors cut him from the team. That must have been extremely painful for him, when the same team he had grown up watching as a kid ended up cutting him, in a way saying "sorry, but you're not good enough."

The next team to pick Jeremy Lin up was the Houston Rockets, but unfortunately, they had an abundance of players that were the same position as him, so he hardly even got any practice time. Eventually, on Christmas Eve, the Rockets also cut Jeremy from their roster.

From the article it describes how:

"Lin headed back to the Bay Area defeated, but with a renewed purpose. He gave up trying to control everything. He tried to stop worrying.

He started every morning with a devotional before heading to the gym to work out. Whenever the anxiety tried to creep in, he whispered a Bible verse to himself:

And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose. — Romans 8:28"

After being cut from the Rockets, he was picked up by the New York Knicks, and he ended up getting the chance to show that he can play, and the rest is unfolding before our eyes.

The most inspirational part of this story for me as a Christian is the way that Jeremy Lin responded to the adversity he faced. Instead of letting impatience or anxiety consume him, he decided to just trust in God more. He ran to the Bible and found comfort and peace there, and I believe that is what Christians are called to do when we face similar trials and hard times.

In many ways, Jeremy Lin's story resonates deeply with what I am going through in my life. As a senior, I had been looking forward to find out which medical school I would go to. In a way, I feel that I may have experienced disappointment similar to Jeremy Lin when he was cut from his hometown team. A couple weeks ago I found out that my home state medical school had rejected me. At first, my reaction was shock, and then a lot of frustration and disappointment. I felt basically that my home state was telling me sorry, we don't want you, you're not good enough, and it hurt. 

Later that weekend, I was still feeling down, and eventually I turned to reading the Bible, and it was the only source of comfort and encouragement for me. It was seriously the only source of comfort for me at the moment. Since then I have been trying to turn to God's word more and more as I wait. Right now, I am on the waiting list for three schools, and am still waiting for a decision from another. In time's like these that I need to be patient, and defeat my anxiety by casting all my anxiety on Him that cares for me.

Even as this Linsanity continues, it has been encouraging for me too. For me personally, it's gut check time for my faith. I worked hard at school and tried my best these past 4 years hoping for the chance of attending medical school, but now it is truly all in God's hand. 

Now all I can do is be like Jeremy Lin, and wait patiently and faithfully for whatever God has in store for me. 

I hope that when people see Jeremy Lin and his story, they would see past the success, and see the faith and the hope in God that kept the dream alive. I also hope that  some way and some how, that his story can inspire people to face their troubles with patience and faithfulness in God.