Gratitude on the Bench

A couple of guys who have a great attitude about being on the bench!


Virtue: GRATITUDE - Letting others know you see how they’ve helped you.

Scripture Verse: Give thanks no matter what happens. God wants you to thank him because you
believe in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIrV)

Bottom Line: Take time to adjust your attitude.

Now that we’ve played few games on Saturdays, I have a question. What’s your favorite part about playing? (Pause and let players respond.) Great job. I’m not at all surprised by your answers! Those are all fun things. But you know what you didn’t mention? Not one of you answered “sitting on the bench.” I mean, I get it. You’d rather be in on the action right? But the truth is, at some point in every game you will be sitting on the bench. (Coach: If the previous statement is not true for your team, change it to an NBA team with a well-known player on the bench.)

So what are you gonna do while you’re on that bench?  Are you gonna dig in your heels and huff and puff? Will you sigh and whine and moan and complain?  Remember, gratitude is a choice.
And you can’t have gratitude with a bad attitude. In fact, it’s kind of impossible for both of those things to exist. But you can be grateful—even when you’re sitting on the bench. You just have to stop and think for a bit. Even when you’re sitting on the bench, here is what is true: You’re on a team with friends. You’re learning the rules of the game and valuable lessons in teamwork.
And while you’re on the bench, you have the perfect opportunity to cheer on your teammates. You might not be able to control when or how long you’re on the bench, but your attitude is completely under your control.

Jesus once told a story about some folks who needed an attitude adjustment. One day, a group of workers were hired to work in a vineyard. Some were hired early in the day and were told how much they would be paid. Other workers were hired later on. And at the end of the day, each worker, no matter how many hours they’d worked, was paid the same amount. As you can imagine, when the money was handed out, those who’d been working all day long were completely ungrateful. But it was the vineyard owner’s choice to pay what he wanted to pay.
And while they had no control over his decision, they had complete control over how they responded. And their response was definitely not grateful.

Part of being a great team player is choosing to have a great attitude no matter what—even if you aren’t playing the position that you want to, even if you miss the basket or even if you sit the bench the whole game. In life, there will be disappointments and things that don’t go your way.
But when that happens, I want you to think about your attitude and how you’ll respond. No one can choose to be grateful for you—it’s up to you! Don’t be like those early vineyard workers who chose to mope and complain because they thought they deserved more. It might take some time to stop and think about what you have to be grateful for, but I promise, if you’ll take the time to adjust your attitude, you’ll be the kind of grateful person that God wants you to be.

Interaction Questions:

1. Let’s think about that story Jesus told. If you were one of the vineyard workers who got hired first, would you have been frustrated that the people who got hired last got the same amount of pay as you? Why do you think Jesus told that story? (To help us remember to have a grateful attitude no matter what.)
2. Is gratitude something that comes naturally? Or do we have to choose it? Why? (We have to choose it because we easily forget to thank God for things that He has done for us.)
3. Why is it important to stop and take time to adjust your attitude? (If we react right away to something, we can easily end up thinking and acting in an ungrateful way.)

Why don’t we pray and ask God to help us have a grateful attitude this week?

PRAYER

Dear God, we love You. Thank You for the players on this team and for the opportunity we have
to play hard and work together on the court. Help us to remember that our attitude is a big part
of whether or not we show gratitude. We know there is always something to be thankful for, so
help us to take the time to adjust our attitude when we need to. Thanks for loving us and for
providing all that we need. We love You and we ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.