Dharius Daniels - Don't Play Hurt

I want you to jump to the Word of God. I’m not even going to say «turn»; jump to the Word of God, the book of Nehemiah, chapter two, verse number three. Everybody, Nehemiah, chapter two, verse number three. You know what? Let’s read verse number one. Let’s read one through three. Let’s do that. Nehemiah, chapter two, verse number one, that’s what it says. All right, it says, «In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when the wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in the presence of the king before.» So the king asked me, «Listen to this: Why does your face look so sad when you’re not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.» He says, «I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, 'May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire? '» I want to pause right there for the cause; we’re going to explain more of this story. I want to tag a title to this text, this final installment, part five of this «Loving Basketball» series. I want to talk from this subject: Don’t Play Hurt. If you’re ready for the Word, put «I’m ready» in the chat. I’m ready in the chat. Many of you know I am, in another life, an NBA basketball player, but in this life, I’m just an NBA fan. So, a few years ago, I was observing the activity of one specific player, an unnamed individual who played for an unnamed team, who chose the noble route of sacrificing his health for the benefit of the team. He suffered a hip injury; yet, his team relied heavily on his leadership off the court and his contribution on the court. So, he chose to do his best to play through the injury, leading his team to the playoffs. While he was dealing with a nagging physical injury during the regular season, he had to contend with an emotional injury during the playoffs, as he tragically lost his sister. When the average individual would have sat on the sidelines, gripped by grief, and communicated to those on his team, «I am unable to play and contribute to our cause,» this brother, with a nagging physical injury and a painful emotional injury, chose to play the next day. Not too long after this incredible experience, while he was attempting to play another game, he exacerbated the hip injury to the degree that he wasn’t able to play anymore. All that sacrifice, all that hard work came to a screeching halt with one quick movement on the court. He had to submit himself to surgery and watch the games from the sidelines. You would think that after such a contribution, the team he was on would have an amazing sense of appreciation for his efforts, but you know what happened? The next season, they traded him. His sacrificial act was an expression of courage, commitment, and character. However, the next season, the team made a decision they felt was in the best interest of the team. So, while he was looking out for the team, the team wasn’t necessarily looking out for him. When he sacrificed, it was courageous; but when the team traded him, it was just business. You may be wondering how this story ended. Well, this brother got back on the court, but he was never the same player again. That injury impacted his mobility, his quickness, and his skills. He never quite reached the heights of potential we all envisioned for him because he made a decision to play hurt. Family, just like this is the case in the game of basketball, so it is when it comes to love. I’m coming today unapologetically, with no apprehension and no trepidation. I am telling you, if you’re listening to me today, if your relationships are going to be level three relationships—if our relationships are going to be fruitful, flourishing, and fulfilling—if we are going to experience God’s best in the relational area of our lives, we must learn from our dear brother that I referred to in my introduction: don’t play hurt. What do I mean? Don’t ignore injuries. See, in the game of basketball, injuries are physical, but in the game of relationships, injuries are emotional. It is easy to assume that it is noble and necessary to ignore your injuries and keep playing the game. However, listen to me: if we do not deal with our injuries—look at me—our injuries will eventually deal with us. I’m going to say that one more time: we may think it’s noble and necessary to ignore our injuries and to keep playing the game, to behave as if we are not hurt, to continue on as if we are not in pain. But I am telling you, ladies and gentlemen, when you ignore an injury, it eventually comes back and impacts you. Just because you ignore it doesn’t mean it’s not having any impact. I’m telling you, many couples are losing what they could be winning because somebody is playing hurt. See, playing hurt doesn’t always help the team; sometimes, playing hurt hurts the team. Yeah, playing hurt doesn’t always impact the team positively; sometimes playing hurt impacts the team negatively. Relationships do not advance and progress when there is an individual in it who is dealing with an emotional injury, acting as if they are not, and attempting to go on with business as usual, not realizing and recognizing that…