Enes Kanter plays for the Portland Trail Blazers, a team currently competing in the 3rd round of the NBA playoffs. Kanter is one of the team’s most important players, currently ranking 3rd in scoring and 1st in rebounding.

Kanter is also a devout Muslim. This is currently Islam’s most important month, Ramadan, a month in which practicing Muslims are expected to fast from sunrise to sunset. Though he has obvious reasons to put off this fast, Kanter has committed to keeping it, even on game days. This means he has a 20 minute window between sunset and tipoff to get some hydration and nutrition in him. In other words, he’s playing against some of the best athletes in the world while going without food or any kind of hydration for 12 hours leading up to the game.

I say all of this with the obvious disclaimer that Islam is a false religion with a false God, and so I’m not endorsing Kanter’s religion. But I do respect the man’s conviction. It’s to our great shame that he is showing the kind of dedication to his faith that many Christian parents fail to show when their kids’ sporting events go head to head with worship.

Consider the excuses often used to justify skipping the Sunday assembly and see how much more easily Kanter could apply them to his situation.

“It’s just this one time.” It’s easy to say that because we’re committed to being at church every other time, it’s okay to miss just this once. But if God loses out in the one time He has competition for your time, the message is clear. Kanter could easily claim that he’s performed his Ramadan duties every year in the past, and he still does so on his off days, so it’s alright to make exceptions. However, he made a commitment beforehand and determined to stand by it. Despite our vast religious differences, he’s clearly providing an example from which we can learn.

“But this one is really important.” The higher the stakes, the more tempting it becomes to put sports over God. But who has higher stakes – a youth playing in a state, regional, or even national championship game, or an NBA player playing for a chance to win an NBA championship, playing for his next multimillion dollar contract, and playing for what would be roughly a $50,000 bonus check for winning this round? Of all people, Kanter has the right to claim this exception. Instead, he speaks as someone who knows his priorities – “It’s just mind over matter, man,” Kanter said. “I think it just gives you so much positive vibes that just go out there to say, ‘You know what, I’m doing this for God, so God [will] help me.’

We’ll make up for it. Sure, we can attend on Sunday night, or have a devotional in the car on the way to the game. But isn’t that just giving God what we want to give rather than what He asked for? Doesn’t He still lose out in that head-to-head matchup? Somebody like Kanter could decide to make up his Ramadan fasts by putting them off until the offseason, but his commitment makes him obey on the terms his religion has set. We can learn from that example.

As I said before, this isn’t in praise of Islam but rather a call to observe the example of someone who is committed to God, regardless of how convoluted his view of God may be.

There are naturally some differences. Unlike Islam, we don’t practice our spirituality before God as part of a works-based religion. We don’t put God over our other interests to earn our way to heaven, but because we love God and we believe that He’s worthy of first place in our lives.

Thankfully we can live with the assurance that His grace is there for us on those times where we fail to put Him first, but that should be a motivation to greater obedience rather than an excuse for greater disobedience (Romans 6:1-2). Because we have a God who loves us so much and provides us with everything we need, and has promised to reward those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6), why would we let anything stand in between us and Him?