Me and Michel Jordan

“The older boy, Kesen, spoke up. “Can you teach me how to fight like that, sir?” Kalam grunted. “I expect your father has a better life in mind for you, lad. Fighting is for people who fail at everything else.”” — Deadhouse Gates: Book Two of The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson

You have pretty much the same opportunities as everyone around you.

The only thing that is significantly different is you.

For the most part it will be you who determines the ultimate success or failure of your life.

This is true for all of us.

For example, me and Michael Jordan. (Wow, “Me and Michael Jordan” together in the same sentence – that’s a first!)

Like Jordan, I was born in the U.S.A. in the mid 20th century, grew up in the Carolinas and loved playing basketball and sports in general. Like Jordan, I could have gone to the University of North Carolina and gotten a degree in Geology. The similarities could go on and on.

Bottom line, we both had pretty much the same opportunities.

But the end result, even with the same basic opportunities available to us, is poles apart.

Jordan went on to become a world famous, Hall of Fame professional basketball player in the NBA and I went into the ministry.

So what was the major contributing factor to the drastically different outcome? The difference is that I’m not Jordan…I’m me.

Like Kesen in the opening quotation, it is easy to see someone else’s success and giftedness and want to be like them. But that’s not your league.

Like me and Michael Jordan…

I can go through life making excuses for why I’ve haven’t matched Jordan’s accomplishments or I can embrace my heavenly Father’s plan for my life and take the opportunities around me to excel in the league I was created to participate in.

The same is true for you.

The ONE THING for today: You are the difference in your life. Own it. Be the difference that makes the difference.

Postscript: I have no regrets about the “league” I chose to play in, but I must say, it was kind of neat seeing my name in the same sentence with Michael Jordan!