It is the talk of the town. Every city wanted him. Only one got him. Many people are saying he went to Miami to win championships, but that they will be cheap and bittersweet. LeBron himself said that is ridiculous because championships, no matter where they are won, are never cheap. It is what he was striving for his entire career. Cleveland is bitter, New York and Chicago are jealous, but Miami is sitting pretty, hoping to start a dynasty.
Some people are calling LeBron a shrewd businessman. Others, a traitor. The Cavs' owner fired off a harsh letter. Many fans are crushed. Others rejoice. It is hard to judge the situation because the point of playing a game is to win. But also, the point of living a good life is to have honor and character. I am in no way intending to solve that problem for you, nor do I think this decision is even worth talking about for more than a few days. What is done is done, and it is just a game. But here are 3 lessons I learned from “The Decision”.
#1: Many of us will sacrifice face in order to get what we want.
Whether you think LeBron was right or wrong is irrelevant. What is true though is he lost a lot of respect in Cleveland. Again, whether it is a merited loss of respect or not is not up for debate. It is still a fact that he lost respect. LeBron knew he would lose face not only in Cleveland, but also in much of America. He sacrificed his image so that he could put himself in the best possible position to win. That is what he wanted. Many of us do the same. We will do whatever it takes, in good situations and bad, to get what we want, even if we look stupid, disloyal, pushy, or irreverent. This can look good or bad, but the fact is that we do what is best for ourselves a lot of the time, when we should be looking out for everybody as a whole, and more importantly, for what God wants. If it is what He wants, then sacrificing face in honorable. If it is a selfish notion, then it is a cowardly act.
#2: Many of us place godly attributes on normal people.
LeBron is a man. He can make mistakes. Did he make one last night? Who knows? What I do know is, that if you put too much power in a man’s hand, he will let you down. If you expect a man to be God, he will fail. If you put a man on a pedestal, the second he does something you dislike, you will dethrone him. The problem is we start to blame God for this kind of stuff. When a pastor falls into sexual sin we point at God to blame. When our father’s turn out to be drunks, we blame God. When the leaders of countries make terrible decisions, we ask God why He let that happen. And even when sports figures turn out to be somebody we thought they weren’t, we make a mockery of them and lose faith altogether. The fact is that glory and godly attributes have no place in the hands of man (please do not confuse this with the call to be righteous FOR God).
#3: Many of us care way too much about things that don’t
really matter.
Honestly, basketball is just a game. It is a fun game. And like all sports, I am intrigued at the highest level of play. I want to watch champions. I want to see loyalty. I want to be a part of sports history knowing that I was there when it happened. But the fact is, sports are games. They are good for us, but if they turn into what we worship, they are absolutely bad for us. You may say that LeBron is an example to kids – and he is! But this decision is about a game, not about how we live life. I truly hope LeBron finds the classiness he had when he played in Cleveland while he plays in Miami, because we need role models. But in reality, we care WAY too much about a game, and not enough about how we live our lives EVERY DAY.
You want a role model? BE
ONE. That is what matters.
Recent Comments