“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment.” — Philippians 1:9 (NKJV)

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I was recently reading Philippians 1 when I came to verse 9 (above) — the start of one of Paul’s prayers for the believers at Philippi — and was curious about the wording. He didn’t say, “I’m praying for you to have love, wisdom, and discernment;” he prayed that their love would abound more and more in knowledge and discernment.

As I read, I talked to God quietly because I didn’t quite understand. What was Paul talking about? One thing I love about God is that He wants us to understand His Word. In His goodness, He illustrated the point to me with a lesson from sports.

I have been reading the book “My Personal Best: Life Lessons from an All-American Journey” by John Wooden with Steve Jamison. With three boys who enjoy basketball, I thought it might give me some good talking points with them from a coach’s perspective, a coach who led the longest winning streak in college basketball history.

God used one of the stories to connect the dots. Wooden reflected on a decision he made early in his coaching career at South Bend Central. He had a rule that forbid the use of tobacco. When one of his star players got caught smoking, Wooden kicked him off the team. No second chances. Wooden shared how he gave it very little thought — the matter seemed black and white. The rule was broken, the discipline was dished out.

The young man had the possibility of getting an athletic scholarship, but after getting kicked off the team, he ended up quitting school. As Wooden grew as a coach, he regretted that decision. He realized a reprimand or suspension could have accomplished the same goal. He was so focused on enforcing the rule that he lost sight of the big picture. Wooden shared an important lesson that took years to learn: the need to balance discipline with compassion and fairness.

The light bulb went off for me: That’s what Paul was talking about! In life, there are so many decisions to make. We need God’s wisdom and discernment, but we also need His love. In fact, His love needs to lead. After all, it is with the merciful that God shows Himself merciful (Psalm 18:25, NKJV).

I couldn’t help but think about some of the current narratives in our nation and Paul’s prayer seems like a gift. I don’t have the answers to issues like national security, immigration, etc., but God does. He sees the heart. He sees the big picture. This prayer is one I want to add to my playbook, so to speak, a prayer for my family, our community and country: Lord, help our love to grow more and more so that we might have wisdom to choose what is good and pleasing in Your sight.

I’m really enjoying the book on John Wooden, but I see that the best things he shares really just mirror Gospel truths. We might call it the “Wooden Way,” but for the follower of Jesus, the wooden way is the way of the cross. It’s a love that continues to win each day. A love that can say, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

— Rachel Gibbons

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