A Baller Christian
So Kobe Bryant passed away yesterday, along with his daughter and the rest of the passengers on the helicopter that crashed. Understandably, everyone who hears about it is shaken up. He was only 41 years old and his daughter just 13. Very young to be dead. Please pray for them and their families. It definitely made me start thinking about my own mortality and that of my family.
I won't lie; I was never much of a fan of Kobe. Until yesterday, all I knew about him was that he was a really good baller and he cheated on his wife once. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I judged the heck out of him for that. After his death hit the news, there were some articles that detailed his reversion to the Catholic faith and how he used his wealth and fame to help others. I was totally floored by that, and quite ashamed of myself. He clearly found the mercy of God and embraced it to the fullest. I went to Confession before Mass yesterday, so His mercy was very fresh in my life, and I found myself thinking that I'm really no different that Kobe is. Sure we sinned differently; we all do. But we both found forgiveness for our sins in the same God, and we were both washed clean. I also read that he went to Mass the day he died. How absolutely beautiful and comforting that he was close with the Lord on the day he went home to Him!
It really got my gears turning. We all know that life is short and unpredictable. Nobody knows the day nor the hour in which our time will come, and we don't know where we'll end up. Jordan and I could have died on our way home from Mass yesterday. Or you could have not woken up this morning. So what exactly are we doing to prepare for that moment?
The only person you have any actual control over getting to Heaven is yourself. Your spouse and kids are your responsibility to get there, but ultimately it's their choice. The only one who chooses your destination is you. Your life choices have a direct correlation to where you're headed. Obviously, nobody is perfect and you won't make the right choices all the time. That's part of being human. Our lives are bound to be imperfect. We make bad choices, bad things happen to us. But how do you respond to those things? Do you make it a point to never make the same mistake again and work towards that? Or do you resign yourself to a vice and let it stay an issue? When you're having a rough time of it with finances or family drama, do you get sucked in and let negativity take control, or do you rely on God and do your best to make the right choices even if it hurts?
These are the choices that can make us saints.
Or not. That's up to us. I have been thinking of some saints who had really rough lives, or made some really crappy choices. St. Therese the Little Flower was always told no by her superiors, but kept on following where God led her and now she is a Doctor of the Church. St. Monica had an abusive husband and a son who went AWOL. She could have crumbled and succumbed to despair, but she prayed constantly and relied on the Lord, and her wayward son, St. Augustine (also a Church Doctor and renowned philosopher), came back to her and to God. St. Augustine was quite the wild child, and he made some really bad decisions. But nobody is too far gone for God's mercy. Not him, not Kobe Bryant, and not us.
Tragedies like the helicopter crash yesterday are a wake up call to us living people. When it's our turn, will we be ready? As long as we walk by faith, using our actions to grow closer to the Lord while bringing others with us and shedding our sinful ways, I think we can be confident we'll end up on the right side of Heaven someday....and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a certain basketball player ready to greet us when we get up there.
I won't lie; I was never much of a fan of Kobe. Until yesterday, all I knew about him was that he was a really good baller and he cheated on his wife once. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I judged the heck out of him for that. After his death hit the news, there were some articles that detailed his reversion to the Catholic faith and how he used his wealth and fame to help others. I was totally floored by that, and quite ashamed of myself. He clearly found the mercy of God and embraced it to the fullest. I went to Confession before Mass yesterday, so His mercy was very fresh in my life, and I found myself thinking that I'm really no different that Kobe is. Sure we sinned differently; we all do. But we both found forgiveness for our sins in the same God, and we were both washed clean. I also read that he went to Mass the day he died. How absolutely beautiful and comforting that he was close with the Lord on the day he went home to Him!
It really got my gears turning. We all know that life is short and unpredictable. Nobody knows the day nor the hour in which our time will come, and we don't know where we'll end up. Jordan and I could have died on our way home from Mass yesterday. Or you could have not woken up this morning. So what exactly are we doing to prepare for that moment?
The only person you have any actual control over getting to Heaven is yourself. Your spouse and kids are your responsibility to get there, but ultimately it's their choice. The only one who chooses your destination is you. Your life choices have a direct correlation to where you're headed. Obviously, nobody is perfect and you won't make the right choices all the time. That's part of being human. Our lives are bound to be imperfect. We make bad choices, bad things happen to us. But how do you respond to those things? Do you make it a point to never make the same mistake again and work towards that? Or do you resign yourself to a vice and let it stay an issue? When you're having a rough time of it with finances or family drama, do you get sucked in and let negativity take control, or do you rely on God and do your best to make the right choices even if it hurts?
These are the choices that can make us saints.
Or not. That's up to us. I have been thinking of some saints who had really rough lives, or made some really crappy choices. St. Therese the Little Flower was always told no by her superiors, but kept on following where God led her and now she is a Doctor of the Church. St. Monica had an abusive husband and a son who went AWOL. She could have crumbled and succumbed to despair, but she prayed constantly and relied on the Lord, and her wayward son, St. Augustine (also a Church Doctor and renowned philosopher), came back to her and to God. St. Augustine was quite the wild child, and he made some really bad decisions. But nobody is too far gone for God's mercy. Not him, not Kobe Bryant, and not us.
Tragedies like the helicopter crash yesterday are a wake up call to us living people. When it's our turn, will we be ready? As long as we walk by faith, using our actions to grow closer to the Lord while bringing others with us and shedding our sinful ways, I think we can be confident we'll end up on the right side of Heaven someday....and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a certain basketball player ready to greet us when we get up there.
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