With Michael Vick's admission of guilt regarding involvement in a dog fighting ring today, I've been thinking a lot about the role of character in attaining success. No one would dispute that Mike Vick is a supremely talented quarterback, although he has had some trouble passing the ball. But, internally, his life was obviously a wreck. Jeff Gordon, for Fox Sports wrote an interesting article where he talks about how much money Vick has lost from his failures (around $100 million), and he also lists other atheletes who have made similar mistakes. Very talented, but no internal moral compass.
Starting in September, I'll be doing character training and leadership development with a facility here in town that helps train young people with job skills. It is a residential facility and it receives around 700 kids, ages 16-24, per year. They are asking me to to an intro course and then a 4 week exit course dealing with what these students will need, apart from their expertise in their field, to excel in life. Many of them come from difficult backgrounds and have not been given guidance the way that they should. Hopefully, in some small way, I'll be able to help. But, as I was thinking about the curriculum today, my thoughts turned to Mike Vick.
During his admission speech today, he claimed to have found Christ. I hope so. What he did was truly horrible. He tortured and killed dogs in a dog fighting ring. Of course he can be forgiven and can turn his life around, but he has already lost so much. So many of us engage in behavior that we think is no big deal, but we really do pay a price. We pay a price in that we do not become all that God intended us to be. We merely exist instead of step into the good works that He has prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:10). Even if we are not doing something REALLY bad or against the law, many people still live selfishly and arrogantly, as though there is no cost to sinful behavior. We are waiting for some type of price to be paid through external consequences, it seems. Sometimes, that happens. It is very painful when it does, But, whether or not external consequences are levied, it does not change the fact that we always pay consequences within ourselves by not walking with God or being what He planned for us. Sometimes the largest consequence is found when we look ourselves in the mirror and realize that we could have been and done so much more - that others were depending upon us and we let them down.
Character does matter. But, a selfish life is also a wasted life. It seems that Michael Vick is learning that lesson the hard way. I pray that the rest of us, myself included take heed.
I hope the man found Jesus too. But isn't amazing how easy it is to find Jesus when you've been busted? The greatest concentration of Christians is in prison.
The sad part that I find is an ongoing attitude of celebrities that seeks to take care of "the boys." Reward those that were friends before the famous status was acquired, no matter the personal cost. And look how rapidly Vick's "friends" turned on him.
Posted by: Nathan Bradfield | August 30, 2007 at 07:09 PM