Do You Still Want to Be Like Mike?

Originally published on February 21, 2013.

Matt Smethurst, writing for The Gospel Coalition, on When Greatness Meets Emptiness—Michael Jordan at 50:

Thompson’s piece pulsates with the sense that Jordan isn’t happy. “I would give up everything now to go back and play the game of basketball,” the Hall of Famer confesses. When asked how he replaces it, Jordan simply states, “You don’t. You learn to live with it.”

He concludes by pointing to Christ: 

In the world, status is tethered to performance. It’s the same in the gospel. The difference, however, is that our status as believers is not tethered to our performance, but Christ’s. Only the gospel can offer the resources to combat our pride, expose our emptiness, and flood our hearts with peace.

“How can I find peace away from the game of basketball?” the aging legend asks.

Michael, you never had peace. Triumph and fame, yes, but not peace. James Naismith invented a game that brought you a sense of purpose, of value, of calm. But it was only that—a sense, a counterfeit of the real thing. You will never find life outside the game for the same reason you never found life in it. It’s not there.“

Learn to Leave and Lose Your Life

Wow. This was such a hard read, and it hard because it is true. One reason I like working with high schoolers is that there is a huge lesson for every senior class: life will go on without you.

For some seniors, they are at the pinnacle of their musical achievement. But once they graduate, the high school world does not stop. It keeps going, and there is a new batch of students ready to replace them. 

Learn to Put Your Worth in Christ

Even if you are the best at what you do, there will always be someone younger, ready to replace you and do the things you can no longer do as you get older. Growing old and leaving a legacy is a part of life. And life has different chapters that present new opportunities for growth. 

It is important to learn to put our worth in Christ, and it is especially crucial to teach the students this to prepare them for their future. It is something I had to learn, and something I’m still learning to this day.