The Decision – LeBron James and Me

We don’t have television and we don’t read the daily paper – I don’t say that with pride but neither do I say it with apology. I do write it to say that there is a lot of trivia that happens that I don’t know about and I’m glad of it. I wish we’d made the electronic-detox decision years ago – and we still probably watch too many DVD’s.

Anyway, yesterday our friend and neighbor Patrick was telling me that LeBron James, the basketball star, had a one-hour television special to showcase his decision of what team he would sign a contract with. People watched it, advertisers paid for time, and people have been talking about it for a few days. Then, Patrick further told me, the team that Mr.James signed with, the Miami Heat, sold out their arena and had a production in which they introduced Mr. James and some of his teammates. I’m told Mr. James and company danced onto the stage with music and smoke and who knows what else.

I thought Mr. James was a basketball player? But that’s really beside the point of this post. Oh well, maybe not entirely – I mean whatever happened to sport for sport’s sake? Or doing a good job for the sake of doing a good job? Whether it is Mr. James or Mr. Trump or all of their wannabes of whatever ilk – it is less and less about the craft or profession and more and more about the image – is it appearance or is it reality (to hearken back to a previous post)?

What struck me is that Mr. James’s one-hour special was called, The Decision. What a fool’s paradise we live in when we think that such a decision deserves notice. What we should be concerned about is the decision we all make concerning Jesus Christ – and there are only two teams in this league, so to speak, that of Christ and that of those in rebellion against Christ. And even when we’ve made a decision to give our lives to Christ, trusting and following Him as our Lord, what do our daily decisions look like? Are our decisions Christ-centered, animated by His grace and life; or are they self-centered and self-serving?

One day Mr. James may wonder why those closest to him never pointed out that there is a decision of eternal consequences that he needed to make for Christ. One day he may well desire the opportunity to trade the jersey of the Miami Heat for an identity in Jesus Christ. But one day it may be too late.

And what about me? While I have decided to follow Jesus, what decisions do I fail to make each day that would bring glory to Him and blessing to others?

I don’t really know that Mr. James is that much different from the rest of us, he is just more overt about it. Most of us wear our jerseys with puffed-out chests, whether they be corporate or civic or political or economic or academic or, sad to say, religious – you name it, we’ve all worn them – we just weren’t smart enough to have a television special.