The NBA had the most unusual season in the history of the sport.  Due to the global pandemic that the world has been facing, most professional sports went on a hiatus for several months and then resumed playing without fans in the stadiums.  Such was the case with the NBA, playing the last three months of their season in a bubble to protect themselves from the COVID-19 virus.

The experiment to play in a bubble was, amid great skepticism and fear, a huge success.  Not only were their zero cases of a player testing positive for the virus, but the quality of play was also much better than most anticipated.  Many had great doubt about them even being able to finish the season in the bubble, fearing that once one player tested positive, it would then spread throughout the bubble like a wildfire.  Fortunately, it all worked out without a hitch.

Are there any spiritual lessons we can learn from the NBA bubble?  I believe there is.  Let us consider a few of them.

The Importance of Having a Place of Refuge

Life was not easy for the NBA players inside the bubble.  They were away from their families and friends.  They were isolated from many of the things they enjoyed and loved, all while trying to play the sport of basketball at the highest level.  The whole affair was monotonous and mentally draining,   However, one thing we now know is that they were in a place of safety.  The bubble was a refuge from the virus.

The devil is trying to infect us with sin, something far more contagious than any virus.  While most people in our society are protecting themselves from COVID-19 by wearing masks and social distancing, very few are protecting themselves from sin and its instigator the devil.  However, as Christians, we are safe from the devil as long as we abide in our place of refuge.  God is our bubble—the place where we find safety from the infector of sin.

Psalm 62:8 (ESV)
8  Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.

Our responsibility is to stay in the bubble.  As long as we abide in Christ, we will be spiritually enriched.

John 15:7 (ESV)
7  If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 

The Importance of Following  the Plan

There were rules and regulations in the bubble.  One player had to be quarantined for violating the rules and another had to be expelled from the bubble, but for the most part, they stayed safe by following the plan Adam Silver, the commissioner of the NBA, put in place.

There are rules and regulations in Christ as well.  If we want to stay safe, we must stick with the plan.  God’s plan is that we walk worthy of the gospel of Christ (Ephesians 4:1; Philippians 1:27).  As long as we execute the plan, something that God teaches us exactly how to do (Titus 2:11-12), we will be safe.

The Importance of Regular Examinations

One way the players, coaches, and almost everyone in the bubble stayed safe was to be regularly examined for the virus.  For at least a while everyone had to be tested every day.

A regular examination can help us avoid being infected with sin.  This is why the Bible encourages regular examinations (1 Corinthians 11:28; 2 Corinthians 13:5).  The examination these passages are talking about is applied by self.  Make a habit of examining yourself.  It will not only help you stay on the right path, but, if you are infected by sin, it will give you the opportunity to repent and ask God for forgiveness.

The Importance of Companionship

Over and over we heard testimonies from the players about how much they helped each other overcome the difficulty of life in the bubble.  Teams spent a lot more time with each other than usual, and it helped them to become closer to each other and to cope with the monotony of the lifestyle they were living.

Our companionship in Christ is very important.  We can help each other overcome the fiery darts of the devil, and pick each other up when we fall.  The wise man once said,  “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up” (Ecclesiastes 4:0-10).

Let us learn these lessons from the NBA bubble.  They will help us all to be better Christians.