Kobe, Race, Work, Eternity

I felt weird on Monday morning. The kind of weird when you go to the dentist, and as they hook you up on laughing gas (that’s another story), they ask you if you’d like the channel on the TV changed away from The Today Show (my dentist is actually pretty cool), and you say yes, to ESPN. “It’s a somber day in the sports world,” I lament, referencing the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and 7 others, who if I have time I will mention again before this is over. As the appointment goes on, the hygienist references the TV memorial I am watching on Kobe, as well as the conditions of my teeth and gums (which is another story), almost interchangeably, to the point I am not sure if she is referencing the accident with Kobe or the condition of my teeth. “That’s so eerie,” she says. That kind of weird.

Well anyway, I had some things to say. Four things in fact. Whether they are naturally connected is not guaranteed. As my mind cleared from the gas (I am partly being facetious, as it doesn’t disorient you like that), I felt like they were. Ultimately, I am going to put that burden on you, the reader. Either they are connected, or they aren’t. If they are, I hope that is inspiring and helpful on some level. If they aren’t, I don’t think that makes each irrelevant on its own.

KOBE

First, Kobe. It is no exaggeration to say that his passing is one of the most, if not the most, wide-reaching losses of a pop culture figure of my lifetime. That is to say, the grieving process for those of us who never met him, is complicated. I can only imagine the complexity, depth, and pain of the grieving process for family and friends who knew him well. Similarly, I can only imagine the complexity, depth, and pain of the grieving process for anyone who loses someone “too soon”. Death is horrible. The deepest parts of our being rage against it, because it is unnatural. It is the “human portion”, as theologians would say, but that does not mean it is a portion we chose or that we like or, and thankfully, it is not our ultimate portion. But I am getting ahead of myself.

The death of Kobe Bryant makes me want to follow sports more closely. As a Christian, whose identity is in Christ, and whose priority is first and foremost about glorifying God and serving others, I know that sports can be an idol and an unhelpful distraction to a godly, or virtuous life. However, sports are also a blessing from God and a lot of fun. I am more of a college basketball fan than an NBA fan, but all of this makes me want to know Kobe better, as a basketball player, and a person (even at risk of discovering the blemishes), and the game he loved. That might mean watching and following more sports than I have in the last few years. I think that is ok. I think there are layers in athletics, and athletes especially, that are unexplored from a Christian worldview perspective. I think there are observations to be made and rejoicing to be had in the nature of the games we watch and the players we love, that could yet glorify God more and love and serve others better. His sudden passing has left that legacy for me.

Basketball, specifically, and Kobe Bryant’s career as one of the best players in history, has a lot to ponder within it. Here we have issues of God’s design and creativity and emotion and work ethic and joy and disappointment and stewardship and courage and endurance and much much more. Basketball is the context for real Christian life application. That is awesome! Whether or not Kobe saw it that way (I hope he did!), is not really my point. I can watch memorials on Kobe and weep with those who weep and celebrate that his impact and legacy, even if not “Christian”, was very meaningful and will endure for the common good.

RACE

Second, race. Bear with me. I will be brief and leave a can of worms open on the table for maybe another time. People of color, specifically African-Americans, experience emotion differently than me, a white man, so I have been told and now consider truth. That is, when a person of color is, say, killed in a violent police shooting (commence opening of the can), whereas my instinct might be to ask about the facts of the case, to know what “actually happened”, a person of color might immediately experience emotion and loss, even if they didn’t know personally the individual killed, and even if the “facts of the case” end up contradicting what was originally reported. This makes total sense when you think about it. A person who has been stopped by police for no reason and felt unsafe as a result, will experience emotion differently than me - who has never even been looked at suspiciously - at the news of a black kid who was wrongly shot and killed in an altercation. I would not feel a communal connection to someone who has had this experience and it ended up very badly, but someone else who has will feel a connection, more so if their overall cultural experience is the same. This does not mean I am heartless, just different. And differences are important.

Similarly, when a black man who also happened to be one of the greatest basketball players in history and who was a role model for millions, maybe especially for young black boys who dream of playing basketball professionally despite their humble circumstances, tragically dies in a helicopter accident, it hurts for those young black boys uniquely. Or, even more tragically (and hitting close to home as the father of a brown-skinned girl), when a teenage black girl, who by all accounts was on her way to her own stardom and who I’m sure was already an example of the potential and possibilities for young girls across the country, even more so young girls of color, is also killed on the way to a Sunday game, there is a hurt for people who saw in her something I did not. Namely, shared culture and experience. This is of course true no matter the ethnicity and culture. The point here is that the “African-American” community has a unique way of grieving in these circumstances, in large part because of an unjust history, and even though I may not share it, I want to try to understand. At the very least I want to acknowledge that there is a difference and the different experience and grieving process is important. I think Kobe’s death has further reinforced this desire for empathy and commitment to lament well in my life. I hope that makes sense and gives you something to think about.

WORK

Third, work. My favorite topic! When I say “work”, I mean biblical labor, or toil, and what I mean by that is: God-driven effort for the lasting good of others. That is my own definition, and it has taken me more than a decade to condense it to that, so every word has purpose and meaning. This is kind of my heartbeat, so I have a lot I could say, but for the purpose of this post I had said I have only four things to say, and this is only of them, so I will try to say only one thing about it. I have been intrigued hearing about Kobe’s work ethic as people remember him; the “Mamba Mentality”, which if I understand it correctly, means a determination to precision, discipline, and endurance that was a formula to lasting success, on the court and off. I have heard many say he was tirelessly dedicated to “perfecting his craft”, and that he did. Craft is one of my favorite words. I think it can be rightly used to describe the kind of work or labor I am talking about, and the kind the Bible talks about. What I want to say about it here is that if Kobe’s legacy, at least in part, is to work tirelessly to perfect your craft, whatever that is for us, and to do so with endurance, skill, and precision, I think that is an enormous legacy. For basketball players or factory workers or homemakers or moms or dads or friends. I don’t have time here to combat the criticisms that such a legacy for the Christian is insufficient and secular at best, or idolatry at worst. Or that basketball doesn’t have the same significance as other professions or service to others. Or that Kobe had other issues so his legacy, even in wholesome areas, is tainted.

More and more I’ve felt that conservative Christians, like me, can become too worried about progressive or secular or imperfect thinking and examples that we miss the forest for the trees. In the case of Kobe, excellence in his work is a beautiful example for us as we work in our own callings, no matter the source of his desire for excellence (whether self-driven, or God-driven, back to my original definition of work). I know, and I sincerely hope Kobe knew before the end, that the source is God, whether we believe it or not. All our effort is God-driven, whether it is raw talent or physical discipline or mental stamina, God is the source because he is the creator. Don’t you see? Kobe demonstrated what we should as well. There is a Christian version of the mamba mentality and it is the meaning of our life: “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (the Apostle Paul in the First Epistle to the Corinthians). God, through common grace at the very least, has used and I think will continue to use the legacy of Kobe Bryant to help me (and you!) work heartily onto the Lord, for the lasting good of others. The fact that I will apply additional biblical truth to that to be faithful to Scripture, honoring to my Lord, and loving to others, takes nothing away from Kobe’s legacy for me.

ETERNITY

Finally, eternity. In light of such a seemingly random and sudden tragedy, there have rightly been many reminders and exhortations to “measure our days”, “hug someone you love”, or “don’t take for granted the fragility of life”. Allow me to add a few:

“For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them.” – Ecclesiastes 9:12

What is one reason evil exists? Because we don’t have a biblical understanding of time, that is, of eternity. The evil time is because us sinful people live this life as if it is all there is, which is bound to lead to selfishness and likewise disaster. I don’t mean to apply this directly to the helicopter crash. I mean to point out the obvious truth of history that we are sinners and sin leads to disaster.

“For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning: in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.” – Psalm 90:5-6

In eternity, this tragedy, and hundreds of others we didn’t hear about on the news over the weekend, will be swept away as with a flood. That is not to say they won’t matter and are rendered insignificant; far from it! But they will be gone. That should be immensely encouraging. No more tears in that day.

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?” – John 14:1-2

I’ll close coming back to the others lost in that helicopter crash. John, Keri, and Alyssa Altobelli. Christian Mauser. Sarah and Payton Chester. Ara Zobayan. My goodness how my heart breaks for those left behind who loved these people so, and my heart longs for them to know the mysterious reality of how to grieve with hope.

The thing about eternity is that the very reality of it, for me at least, takes the burden away from explaining or understand events in this “evil time”. For some, thinking about the lack of time and a state lasting into infinity is terrifying. Not for me. It redeems all that has been lost. In Christ, and with Christ, our best days are always in front of us. 

In the meantime, how long O Lord? How long will shocking loss create unfathomable relational separation from loved ones? How long will a family of 5 experience the crushing loss of father, mother, and daughter/sister in a single moment? How long, will a family of 6 experience the tearing loss father/husband and daughter/sister in the same moment? How long will our culture experience the loss of those who at least tried to represent the best of your creation in their work and skill? Thank you, Lord Jesus, that no matter how long, that you are not slow in fulfilling your promise, as some count slowness, but are patient, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. Even still, come quickly! Bring to fruition the inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, and give us the diligence to be found without spot or blemish, and at peace.