My Own Worst Enemy is In Me

Recently, Urban Meyer, a living legend amongst college football coaches, abruptly and unexpectedly decided to step down from coaching in order to reexamine his priorities related to faith and family. This came as a shock to so many of his team and other sports fans. Apparently, he had been experiencing chronic chest pain over the last four years and his health had become somewhat compromised due to the stress of coaching.

I watched and listened to Sports Center's coverage of this breaking news and was impressed at this man and his decision. He looked to be a handsome man in the best of shape and appeared to be a man of integrity. I admired him and could even relate to him a bit. Not because I am in the best of shape, nor am I suggesting that I am a handsome man. But I could relate to his stress.

As people were describing him, they shared his singular focus on Florida football. They admired his all-out commitment to Florida football and how he gave 110% towards Florida football. Over and over again, I kept hearing how he gave his life to his job, and there is where I can see a bit of myself. I think we all can see a bit of ourselves in Urban Meyer.

We as human beings can give ourselves to so many things. Some things we give ourselves to are celebrated and other things we give ourselves to are condemned, but there is a similar dynamic involved whenever we give our lives to something. Whatever we give our lives to, becomes our master. And whatever things of this world we allow to become our master, becomes our destroyer.

I think this is why Jesus was so extreme in his calling upon our lives to abandon all else in order to follow him. Jesus knew that anything in this life which we give ourselves to will become our master, and it will become our destroyer, no matter how good that thing may appear to be. Jesus made such and extreme demand on our lives, not because he was insecure and needed our love, but because we are insecure and can self-destruct without him.

What have I been tempted to give my life to in the past? As I ponder this questions, I am tempted to share concrete examples such as jobs or people. But, in reality those things are just symptoms of what I was really giving my life to. In reality, I have given my life over to such things as... Success, Acceptance, Admiration by others, Control. Those are the biggies.

So how about you? What are the biggies in your life?