Joe Crispin:
This past week, Rick Reilly weighed in on the need for everyone to forgive Michael Vick. Having blogged on this topic before, I naturally agree. Reilly states the argument well, however, as he normally does.
I also came across this E:60 story on former Ohio State football star, Maurice Clarett, who competed this year for the UFL’s Omaha Nighthawks. Having followed his fall, it was encouraging for me to see a man of humility who, like Vick, genuinely seems to be thankful for the opportunity he now has.
I don’t know what Vick’s or Clarett’s foundational beliefs are, but their stories serve to highlight the reality that a good dose of humility enables a man to see life clearly, possibly for the first time. Both of these men were highly touted athletes, who enjoyed a very high level of success early on in their athletic careers. Neither was valued as a man of humility and integrity, until they took a fall. Only after their falls were they humbled and thus, able to see their lives clearly and to appreciate the opportunities they always took for granted. We are wise to learn from them and to make it a primary aim in life to cultivate true humility.
From a Christian perspective, such cultivation first and foremost requires the pursuit of God. For it is only when we begin to understand who He is that we can really see who we are. A clear knowledge of God gives us a clear knowledge of ourselves; and a comparison of the two is what makes us humble. I’m not sure if these dynamics are at work in the lives of Vick and Clarett, but I certainly hope so.
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