Jeremy Lin Says God Has Been Teaching Him 'a Lot' Through His Basketball Injuries

Jeremy Lin (second from left) is forced to sit on the sidelines for now because of his hamstring injury.(Instagram/Jeremy Lin)

NBA star Jeremy Lin, who plays point guard for the Brooklyn Nets, experienced unfortunate back-to-back injuries late last year. First, he missed 17 games starting on Nov. 2 after he suffered from a hamstring injury. Then he was sidelined again on Dec. 26 after injuring his left hamstring.

Despite all of these things, Lin is displaying good Christian faith and humility. He said he's learned a lot because of his misfortunes, and he is grateful for everything God is doing to his life.

On his Instagram account (@jlin7), he posted a photo showing himself having a break with his teammates. He was cradling a basketball with a huge smile on his face.

"Thank you for everyone's support and prayers! Not gonna lie, this season's been very painful physically, mentally and emotionally, not being able to battle with my crew night in night out," Lin wrote. "But God's been teaching me a lot about gratitude for the little things, full surrender of my greatest dreams, humility in service to my teammates and trust in His perfect timing. I'm working extremely hard to get right again... thanks again for the love!"

Lin does not know for sure when he'll be allowed to play again. But during an interview with NBA.com earlier this year, the Christian athlete expressed optimism that he'll be back in the court soon.

"It's been less than a week and I've shot, so that's really encouraging," Lin told reporters. "I remember how long it took me to shoot previously."

What Lin has found the most difficult is sitting on the sidelines, but he considers it a character-building experience. "That's life and I think it's more how you respond from it," he said. "I'm given this, so how I can still pour into my teammates and study the game or different things. I know in a lot of ways, a lot of setbacks or things I've really not enjoyed have been the most valuable for me in terms of being a learning experience."