It came as a thunderous surprise to me yesterday when I heard about the tragic death of a worldwide sports hero and his daughter. It seems he and his daughter were traveling to a game by helicopter when it crashed. This sports icon was non other than Kobe Bryant. Unfortunately, he was just 41 years old and she, 13.

The impact he had on basketball was filled accolades and records. In his 20 years with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe won 5 NBA Champions, was selected 17 consecutive times as an NBA All Star, scored a high of 81 points in one game, made 12 three-pointers in a game, was named NBA finals MVP twice, won 2 Olympic Gold Medals, scored over 33,000 points in his career and recently earned an Academy Award for “Dear Basketball”.

He was idolized by millions and influential to so many more. His physical feats were impressive. He was a driven individual with passion and ambition.

Not surprisingly, his desire and intensity to win was so great he was once quoted saying “If you want to be great at something, there’s a choice you have to make. What I mean by that is, there are inherent sacrifices that come along with that. Family time, hanging out with friends, being a great friend, being a great son, nephew, whatever the case may be.”

It seems he did indeed accomplish all he set out to do. This should make us all ponder what lasting legacy will we leave behind. We all have an appointed time to meet our maker and he will hold us responsible for what we did with what he gave us here on earth.

FX3 Challenge:

Pray:

Read and meditate on Mark 8:36-37. What are these verses saying to you?

Pray:

What kind of legacy do you want to leave?

Meditate / Make It Real:

Write your obituary. How does this align with the verses above.