The Journey

Maybe it is because I’m bored. Maybe it is because the Cardinals are tanking and the Cubs are looking like the best team in baseball. Maybe it is because I need a break from the pre-season NFL hype that dominates the airwaves. Or maybe it is because I had to spend a ton of time this year in the pool to rehab my ailing back. Whatever the reason, watching Michael Phelps on TV is awesome. Because Michael Phelps is awesome. Freakin' awesome.

Michael Phelps is a freak of nature. More fish than man in the water. The underwater cameras display his unusually long torso, his 6’7 wingspan and lean physique (which I say with a staunch record of heterosexuality) enable Phelps to resemble the dolphins I took my kids to see at Sea World last year. Phelps, the human dolphin, is poised to win as many as 8 medals which would break the all-time Olympic record for total medals. Phelps is awesome. Freakin' awesome.

What is it about greatness that captures our imagination? Whether it is greatness in the athletic realm as seen in Tiger Woods, Michael Jordon and Venus Williams, or greatness on the big screen through the personification of evil by the late Heath Ledger, humans are drawn to excellence. Why is this so?

As I examine my own heart, I know that one of the reasons I love greatness is because I want to live vicariously through the one who is great so that, at least in my head, I feel great. It is easy to feel great when you are a fan of someone who is great.

But, there is something more. Greatness does something to our hearts that goes beyond our own narcissistic egos. Greatness in almost any realm gets our eyes off of ourselves onto something bigger. Greatness inspires us. Greatness gives us hope. Greatness shows us the possibility that things can be better. Greatness challenges us to be better.

People are made in the image of God according to Scripture. The image is broken, marred and deficient, but we see glimpses of God’s image in depraved humanity. Perhaps the next time you and I see greatness we could remember that greatness is a reminder. Greatness reminds us that there is a God who is THE Greatest. Humans, reflecting the image of God can be awesome, but God is the one who is freakin awesome.

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