For a teenage boy it is a Prime season to form our own idols. though we wouldn't see it that way and neither would most adults who still serve them. the teenage years whether we realize it or not and we almost never do, these are the years the mythology for our lives are formed, the way we see the world around us as we relate and interact with it. our experiences very well become the growing field in which we Thrive or the waters in which we drown or even the stagnancy in which we remain a child our whole lives. For myself as a teenager my idols were formed in athletes. living vicariously through the success and achievements that they had accomplished setting no real goals for myself, I had looked to the Future not having a clue about my possibilities and the abilities that I have, so I lived through Darryl Strawberry, Michael Jordan and Mike Tyson, from the mid 1980s to the early 1990s, respectively. the mythology I had absorbed forming my Foundation was that of knockouts, slam dunks, home runs, winning championships, being on top, being the king, being the best, a hero for a little while anyway. as I would eventually learn when all these Idols of mine would either fall hard hitting rock bottom, due to ego, Pride, scandal, old age, addictions, or bad decisions. they all came down off that pedestal and I found in each one is a life lesson for me years later.
Here I'll discuss the three people I mentioned earlier. while it could be debated which of the three had the biggest influence in my life at that time I'll start with Darryl Strawberry.
*The Straw that stirred the drink*
this takes us to 1987 and Darryl was one of the most feared home run hitters in baseball. 1987 was the year I really woke up to sports in a big way and straw stirred the drink. in the beginning the baseball field was the sacred ground on which I worshipped. During Darryl's time as a met fan from 1987 until 1990 baseball dominated as my favorite sport. I sided with Darryl when he had an altercation with teammate Keith Hernandez in 1989 and I agreed with his criticism of the Mets front office when he said they don't have enough black ball players. it did Shock Me though when Darryl said in a radio interview in regards to the riots that ensued after the officers in the beating of Rodney King were not found guilty to "let it burn" referring to Los Angeles.
along with his injury-prone seasons with the Dodgers in 92 and 93 and accusations of abuse by his wife then and the substance abuse and addictions Darryl Had Fallen from the pedestal and hard. yet I was still a fan through and through with high hopes that he would do well with the San Francisco Giants and in 1994 I even went to a Mets game that year and guess who they were playing the Giants and straw played, I was excited to say the least.
I may have batted righty and straw batted left but I had the same batting stance as strawberry. I even played right field, even imagining and picturing myself with movements like strawberry, facial expressions like straw. only difference I did not hit home runs like straw. In wiffle ball, I did one season, I was second in home runs with 34 behind my brother Joe who had over 50. one could say I was certainly emulating straw on the field or at least trying to.
just imagine, what if I emulate Jesus Christ, emulate his actions in my daily life, what if I speak the words of Jesus, what if I have the love of Jesus for everyone, forgiveness, Grace, mercy. what if I could be the hands and feet of Jesus to everyone. what if Jesus was my coach and I was on the Jesus team.
all I can say is "play ball!."
So I started with Darryl Strawberry and while I could have continued with Michael Jordan
I felt Tyson was the next deserving of discussion.
*Not Down for the Count *
Tyson's career professionally began in 1985 and while I missed his rise in the first couple of years by mid 1987 I quickly became a fan.I watched when he won the IBF title, unifying the WBA, WBC and the IBF titles in 1987. I remember his dominance in boxing by the end of 1987, he was 32 wins 0 losses and 28 KO'S. Without a doubt Tyson was a solidified king of his sport. at that time I watched him beat greats and Legends Like Larry Holmes and Michael Spinks. by the time 1990 rolled around Tyson was 37 wins 0 losses and 33 KO'S. he had defended the unified title 6 times, the WBC 9 times and the WBA 8 times, Being Champion for a 3-year period.
Perhaps no one saw it coming, what just lied ahead in 1990. Was it the fame and fortune? was he losing the hunger? whatever it was Mike Tyson lost to Buster Douglas on February 11th 1990. While it was shocking and unbelievable, what would follow in 1991 where he was arrested and convicted of rape and serving prison time until his release in 1995. like Darryl Strawberry, I watched Tyson's fall from the pedestal he was on and it was a hard fall. 2 heroes of mine down around the same time mired in great individual and Personal struggles all playing out through the news coverage. when you're on top it's great but not when you crash and burn. both men would make good comebacks respectively like with Darryl I want to look at Tyson's scenario through a spiritual lens.
Where both men had choices and all of us do and I go back to the question what do you value most? what are the priorities in one's life? what is a person willing to sacrifice for where do we invest our time, our energy, our money, our resources? I'll say again, I believe we are all sacrificing, every day for something we may not think of it in that way or realize it but we are. Analyze oneself carefully and prayerfully with the probing questions and whatever else the Lord reveals to you in your time spent with him. The time with God can be transforming, life changing. one of the greatest sacrifices is the sacrifice of giving your time. most people need to sacrifice more of themselves in this area in the presence of almighty God, who is all-powerful all present all knowing, yet his manifest presence is felt experienced and known in our intimacy with the Lord. he is always with us but are we always with him? Sacrifice your time to be with God, he always has time for you and it is always so. my point about choices was rooted in the questions what you value and what are you willing to sacrifice for? what we are most passionate about that is a big key to getting to what really makes us tick. where do we find our purpose, our reason and What Makes Us truly alive. Strawberry and Tyson to succeed in their fields both had to sacrifice to get there. they both had a passion in their fields. they both gave up things in their lives to work at becoming great in what they did.
Tyson was a troubled kid who was in and out juvenile penitentiary for robbery, fighting, Etc.
Until meeting Cus D'Amato, who was a boxing trainer but not just a boxing trainer, he managed and trained Floyd Patterson, a legend. Though Cus would only take mike under his Wing if Mike stayed on the straight and narrow. Tyson was only thirteen when meeting Cus but it was surely a meeting that would change the course of Tyson's life to becoming WBC champion at the age of 20. But to get there for over the next 6 years he would have to stay on a narrow path as he promised Cus. While Tyson kept straight to get there Cus passed away in Tyson's first year as a professional boxer. Mike was 12 wins 0 losses with 12 KO's when Cus passed away and one year later from that point Tyson won the WBC title at 28 0 26 KO's.
How did Tyson get there? Well, he sacrificed, he valued his relationship with Cus, it was important to him. While Cus fed into Tyson all his knowledge of boxing and even bigger than that he worked changing Tyson's image of himself from a nobody to believing he was somebody but not just anybody no he was the next world champion who would knock out everybody.
Tyson sacrificed practically literally everything leaving his old life behind of crime robbery street fights, ETC to be under the care and watchful eye and guidance that Cus provided living with Cus and Cus' female companion.
In talking so much about Cus and his role in Tyson's early life I have to mention a man named Stewart who was Tyson's connection to Cus. he was the one who saw something in Tyson that Cus could work with. Stewart saw Tyson and began mentoring him while Tyson was in prison but also made it clear to Tyson that he would have to stay out of trouble stay on the straight and narrow in order for Tyson and Cus to even meet. Stewart wanted to see a change in Tyson, a lasting change even a permanent one, but there would be a change only so much that Tyson would become Undisputed Champion uniting all three titles. unfortunately though, it would not be a permanent change as I mentioned earlier.
With the rape conviction in 1991, serving a jail sentence until 1995, as well as other personal struggles that Tyson was facing and it was nothing like he faced in the ring, now it was Tyson himself who was his opponent and he appeared down for the count.
At some point we all appear down for the count and truly we are. believe me, we all will go down for the count but it is only Jesus Christ who raises us to life and to have it abundantly with all spiritual blessings and Victory. a Victory that Christ has won for us, through us, his death on the cross, and the tomb that could not hold him because he lives forever. the tomb cannot hold those in Christ either despite the 10-count. a new round begins with no time limit and no end. in fact, after Christ returns there will be no opponent, he will be in prison, bound A Thousand Years, only to come out and meet his end and Christ will deliver the crushing blow, knocking Satan out for good.
*Yes Bulls can fly but not forever*
So next I will speak of Michael Jordan. unlike Strawberry and Tyson, Jordan did not suffer the great downward spiral like them, rather it was the natural decline due to age. he's always mentioned as either the greatest basketball player of all time or one of the greatest. he was human though and at worst his gambling did become major headlines in 1993.
One outstanding characteristic of Jordan was his fiery competitiveness to win. he went all-in wholeheartedly with everything he had. what I remember was he would be tough on his teammates to get the best out of them and he also had a few heated moments with teammates and even a couple of fights.
while these are small and Petty, I'll stick to his indomitable Spirit to win and his ability to raise up the level of play of his teammates and how this was the beginning of the Chicago Bulls domination of the 1990s, that at some point Jordan realized or must have realized you can't score 37 and 35 points per game forever and to know he can't do it all and others would have to step up. he will have to get others involved and set a good example. as a team leader he would use his ability to create shots for others.
as coach Phil Jackson's philosophy of team play and the triangle offense opened up the floor, actually Tex Winter and Sam Barry's triangle offense.
Jordan would commit himself to the triangle offense, expanding his game and as his teammates around him improved and stepped into their roles, the Bulls began to fly.
As with us, with our gifts and talents, are we willing to expand and grow to become more we oriented and not me oriented?
considering the needs of others above our own, for the good of the whole body.
this aspect of selfless service knowing that the health of one part impacts the overall health of the body.
knowing, in the hand, I must do what the hand does. yes, for the good of itself. but it must do what the foot cannot for the good of the foot and the foot must do what the hand cannot for the good of the hand. as for any part, to serve the others for the overall good.
*Final analysis*
Whether we realize it or not we all sacrifice for something. I think we actually do it everyday maybe without knowing it. but when we do see it, it can be life-changing, life-transforming, if we move with intent to change in those areas. what do you value the most? what do I value the most? this I think it's the question that could help get us under the surface to the heart of the matter. to the very core of our individual crisis and the crisis being to experience God to be in relationship to and with God.
all three of these Idols, Heroes, modern-day mythological men of my childhood and early twenties were merely men who I carved shaped and molded into my own personal idols and heroes. even if it was just Men playing a child's game or a man beating his opponent to a pulp. God is so much more than these and to truly know him it is to have Heaven present with you everywhere because the Lord is with you everywhere but to experience him is to encounter the Lord in a powerful way, where he manifests his presence of himself to you in an intimate way. where he shows you his glory, showing the deeper essence of who he is which completely takes you in the rapture of his love to bask in his Majestic presence in worship and adoration of him. never leaving the Lord's presence when you go but walking with him and in him. never departing from him or his ways.
This is the greatest sacrifice.
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