Racing Donkeys
Yes, you heard this blog title correctly. We are coming off a tough road loss against arguably the no. 1 NAIA team in the country in Indiana Wesleyan University. They are not only possibly the best team, they have the best player in Kyle Mangus. Kyle doesn’t look the part at first glance, but this young man is a thoroughbred. I wanted to see if my young horses could run with the stallions yet.
I placed my guys in a very difficult situation as we picked up the game at last moment, because of three other cancellations due to Covid-19. We got home from a four-hour road trip at 2 AM then got on the bus the next morning to drive over ten hours to Indiana to play the best. I don’t regret taking advantage of the opportunity even though the loss was not easy to swallow. We now have a better idea of what we must do to get to the top of the mountain, but it challenged me as a coach to still see my young players for what they can be and not what they currently appear to be.
The question I struggled with was this. Can I help them grow into the stallions God has made them to be? How can I help them learn how to climb the mountain that leads us back to the top of NAIA Basketball? When I asked God that question, I was surprised at His response.
As I went to the Lord with my struggles on the long road home, I listened to a message from Jentezen Franklin. Pastor Franklin was preaching on a story that is included in all four Gospels. Let’s reference Matthew 21:2-3 to see what Jesus says, “Go into the village over there,” He said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.”
Jentezen pointed out something I had never heard before. It is the only time in the Bible that Jesus says to tell someone that ‘The LORD needs them’. Jesus is God, He needs nothing, but in this verse, of all the animals He could have chosen, Jesus says he needs a lowly donkey. There is no way around it, an animal that many including the Bible call an ass.
Why a donkey? Yes, Jesus will return on a white stallion when the Gabriel blows the trumpet, but at this time Jesus chooses a donkey to ride in on. On first look, it seems an easy to think that Jesus chose a donkey to show that the savior of the world did not come to defeat the Romans by force of battle, instead Jesus came as a lamb for slaughter. That did not stop the crowds from celebrating as Jesus rode the donkey into the city on Palm Sunday. One thing is for certain, they were not celebrating the donkey Jesus rode in on for sure.
Maybe Jesus was thinking about His mother who many believe rode a donkey while pregnant all the way to Bethlehem. I look forward to asking Him that question in Heaven.
Pastor Franklin’s message opened my eyes to other reasons why Jesus possibly chose that donkey that day. If you ask miners why they always use donkeys instead of horses? Their answer, “Because donkeys are amazing in the mountains.”
Jesus called on a lowly untrained donkey. How many times has Jesus chosen the least to do the greatest in His Kingdom? How about His disciples?
Much like Jesus, donkeys carry burdens. Donkeys have endurance not speed. God uses those who can endure when load gets heavy and when times get hard, they continue to climb. Donkeys’ small, cupped hooves allow them to be very agile in climbing steep slopes and rocky surfaces. Not only that, but the tough digestive system of donkeys allows them to eat coarse vegetation on mountains that most animals would find inedible.
They don’t have a horse’s raw speed, but when it comes to steadiness, stamina and heroic resistance to heat, cold and thirst, you can’t do better than a burro. That’s why famous adventurers and poor peasants alike made donkeys their ride of choice.
I also read that a donkey’s prefer clean water. Donkeys may refuse to drink dirty water even when they need water Donkeys can go without water for up to 3 days without harm to the animal when there is water shortage. Maybe we should be a little more careful about the Kool-Aid we choose to drink!
Donkeys form incredibly strong friendships. Donkeys are surprisingly affectionate. They seek out their trusted humans or other animals, whether to be petted or simply to stand nearby. In most instances’ donkeys will protect those they have affection for. They often confront and chase coyotes out of the pasture.
Donkeys are not flight animals like horses, so you cannot as easily scare them into certain action or behavior. This is usually the reason that people believe that donkeys are stubborn. Horses evolved on plains where they have lots of space to run and many resources to choose from, whereas donkeys evolved in mountainous desert areas. The desert doesn’t provide an abundance of resources such as food, shelter, etc and the mountains did not give them much space to run away. A donkey had to take the time to assess the situation to decide if it was dangerous enough to run, or if they should stay and fight. This cautiousness has led to a very developed sense of self preservation. If a donkey is unsure of where they’re being led, it will stop and consider the situation before proceeding. Some call this characteristic stubbornness or stupidity. Some call this naturally analytical behavior “common sense”.
On my visit to Jerusalem a few years ago, I asked why the paths up and down the steep slopes went back and forth. I will never forget that response. The tour guide said that donkeys had developed these paths over years, because they are experts at finding the best path up and down a mountain. After hearing the message from Pastor Frankiln and researching more information on donkeys, I realize that the best way up a mountain may not be on a stallion. It just might be on the back of donkeys.
One of the coolest events I found while researching donkeys is the Running of the Burros, check out this race!
https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/15/health/pack-burro-donkey-sport-fit-nation/index.html
I will leave you with one more gem from Pastor Franklin’s message. Jesus told his disciples to untie the donkey and bring them to ME. As coaches, this might be the most important message for us to hear. Untie our donkeys and allow them to use the gift’s God placed in them to use to bring Jesus glory. It is time to bring all our players to Jesus.
Photo by Ron Hansen on Unsplash