Hunger, Habits, Humility

For IWUHoops, each season is a journey of men in the program trading the pursuit of me for the pursuit of 3.  Through intentional prayer, Bible study and community, God has continued to reveal new depths of an IAm3rd life.  

The 2016-2017 journey was one of a team filled with apathy learning to live a life marked by hunger, habits and humility.  Read Coach T's thoughts on this transformation HERE  

This offseason and preseason have seen IWUHoopers pursuing 'hunger, habits and humility.'   A pursuit of Hunger sets you in motion.  Habits keep you in motion.  Humility puts others in motion.  This pattern has taken some of the men in the program beyond mere growth and into transformation.  Over the next few weeks, we invite you to check back on the blog often to hear the stories of what the team is learning and who the players within the program are becoming.

Becoming A Team With HUMILITY

We are becoming a team of men who are pursuing humility.  The problem is, it is not an easy word to understand. I am constantly asking myself: "how do hunger and habits tie in with humility?" Where is the connection?

I believe the connection lies within the IAm3 mindset.

At the core of our program is what we call the IAm3 mindset--we strive to put God first, others second, and ourselves third.

When we are developing habits, it is important to have an IAm3 attitude. Former player DJ Bettinger once told me that 40% of our every day actions are done out of habit. DJ was one of the hardest workers—and most humble teammates—I have ever known, so I naturally paid attention to what he had to say.  He proceeded to explain the importance of making the most of these habits. “If 40% of my day is going to consist of habitual actions, then I am going to try my hardest to develop habits that produce positive outcomes,” he said.

Essentially, DJ wants to have an IAm3 attitude 40% of the time... without even having to try.

Habits eventually create a hunger. But what are you hungry for? This question is so important to ask. Someone that is hungry for worldly things will pursue them, and we have found they will ultimately be dissatisfied. However, someone that hungers for the things of God will find spiritual fulfillment. Matthew 5:6 says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

We are also learning that hunger creates more habits. It is a cycle. The habits then create more hunger, which produce more habits, and so on. Once this cycle has been repeated various times, we desire to have humility set in.

The process of continually putting God first, others second, and yourself third is the key to developing humility. It is not a matter of unselfishness, but rather an intentional pursuit of making yourself smaller and God bigger. In other words, we desire to take the spotlight off of ourselves and put it on something greater.  This is when humility develops, and we can really reach our potential as a team. 

-Trevor Waite, Junior