Tuukka Kotti, a basketball player, Espoo
Tuukka Kotti plays for the Finnish national basketball team in Susijengi, which in 2011 qualified for the European Basketball Championship after 16 years. Subsequently, the team has made it to the major games time after time again.
THE EVERYDAY LIFE OF A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE is disciplined, especially when it comes to diet and rest. The most important thing is enough sleep and a regular sleep cycle. Not a lot of people can play on a professional level at 40 years old, but I am lucky enough to do it. For that I am so grateful! I have enjoyed every moment. Success is a thing I have wanted to look at first and foremost as the team’s joint effort, and I am glad to remember where we have come from and how much we have worked to reach our goal.
I’m sure a big part of it is because of the grounded attitude that my family and friends have instilled in me. My mind hasn’t gone ”off the rails” because of our victories. I am a husband and a father of two, and I take my hat off to my wife. My family has to be flexible in many ways since I get my schedules only two weeks in advance. They have made it possible for me to have the life of my dreams. Since my childhood, praying has been a safety mechanism for me even though spirituality hasn’t been a daily thing for my family. Although sometimes we did attend church at Christmas time. Even during my adult years, I have crossed my hands in prayer and talked to our Heavenly Father about my fears and troubles. Six years ago, I was nervous about the basketball finals, and I spoke about my emotions with my mentor. He instructed me to do a mental exercise, which made me realize the kind of power the mind really has. It also got me thinking about the fundamental meaning of life – what it’s all really about.
I read a lot of spiritual literature, and one day I ended up looking at my own bookshelf. Looking through the books, I saw the Bible I received at my confirmation camp in 1996, but I didn’t feel like opening it at all.
At the same time, I thought about why it was so hard and unpleasant to say the name of Jesus out loud. I prayed that God would show me if there was any truth in the Bible. It was the bestselling book in the world, I knew that much.
During one of our game trips, I ended up sitting on a plane next to our team leader, Tero Kuivalainen. I didn’t know he was a Christian believer. We started discussing spiritual things, and during that trip, it so happened that Tero prayed for me. Something within me started to change.
God finished my faith journey as I started to deal with the fears and bitterness I had against some loved ones. These problems had consumed me for a long time. I confessed these things to God in prayer, and I decided to have the will to forgive them for what had happened in the past. A heavy load was lifted from me. Life as a Christian man is mentally rich and exciting but also challenging. God knows how to gently and constructively bring up the weaknesses that need to be dealt with. And you can’t really do it with your own strength. You need the help of prayer and God. The biggest blessing is the sense of peace. I can walk through life thinking that everything will be all right. Loving your neighbour has become much more important and tangible. Faith in God takes my thoughts away from myself in a healthy way. Now, I think much less about myself and what I want. I still don’t know what I would like to do when I grow up! I hope I still get a chance to play a season or two more. The want to help people, especially young people, has sparked within me.
I want to be open about my faith. Even if only one person becomes interested in Jesus because of my testimony, that will be enough for me.