They Inspire Us
Do you remember yours, the way I remember mine? For me, it was a moment: a flash of brilliance if you will. The drive down the lane at full speed, as the opposition chases after something they will never catch. The red blur jumping with the ball already in the air, floating casually as the fans wonder if it will go in. As a seven year old, it was majestic, seeing a guy like Dwyane Wade playing in the NBA Finals the way that he did. Watching him in 2006 inspired me to play basketball at a young age.
It did more than just inspire me to play basketball: it inspired me to do more than what I thought I could ever do. More than myself.
That’s the power of being inspired by someone. As I remember clearly that moment in 2006, I remember being inspired by someone who was more than just a man. Jesus, the Son of Man. What I felt that day, as the Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks to capture their first NBA Championship, I feel ten-fold everyday, as I try to emulate Jesus.
If you have never been inspired by someone, I guess it means you have never been in contact with anybody. Life inspirations and examples can be positive as well as negative. You can think “they did something wrong, and I don’t want this to happen again. I’ll avoid the situation or find a way to find myself in their position to avoid the wrong to be done again”. Or, on the contrary it can be a “They are so amazing I want to be like them and do the things the way they did to honour their inheritance, their job…”
I asked the other members of the team to name one person who inspired them and why. Here’s what some of them responded:
One of Eli’s inspirations is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson because of this quote: “What’s the key to success? The key is, there is no key. Be humble, hungry, and always be the hardest worker in any room”.
Little Feet told me about a woman whose organization in life is inspiring. She is married to a pastor that she strongly supports and encourages in his ministry, they have 3 kids, and she has many responsibilities within the church. Despite all of this, her strength of character is remarkable, her life is an example and she keeps on encouraging and loving people.
What about me? Excellent question. There are so many people who have been so impactful in my life. But I will think about this Sunday school teacher a few years ago. She was so kind and sweet, loving and encouraging… When I told her that when I grow up I wanted to be like her, she smiled, had a small laugh and responded “You’ll be greater than me”. And even though I’m not always the best, I still long to be like her, or even follow her saying and be greater, better than her. On the other hand, I could also think about this late actor who took demanding roles even though he was very sick - Chadwick Boseman. He is the one who inspired this mini-series by his strength and courage.
People around us are blessings, they inspire us to get the best out of us. There are two reasons that I think about immediately. The first one is that we want to honour them. The second one is that we want to prove some people wrong. That being different is possible.
But when you think about it, who do your inspirations look like? What do they advocate? If you look at kids, they’ll very often be willing to be like superheroes, or idealize their parents to the point where their dad ends up being “the stronger” and their mom “the smarter” or the “most beautiful woman in the world”. I think that in their heart, even though they might not know Him, their goal, their role model is Christ, as He is for me and for Eli, who wrote the beginning of this article.
It means a lot to be Him and to be like Him. Here’s my secret. It’s not impossible to be like Christ and to do what He did. We can even exceed the works that He did: He says it himself (John 14:12).
Here it is. A very short version: if you want to be the best, if you want to be like your inspiration, no matter who that may be, work is important. But through Jesus, God can bring you to perfection. Whatever you want to do, your work has a value that no one will ever be able to contest, but God is the One who will shine your light. Your base, your goal has to be to be like Him.
So, here is our invitation for this week: take note of the people who inspire you, and, given the example of the loss some of us feel, I would encourage you to take a time to thank them if you can. And then, look up to Christ in order to get better. Let Him act in your life. We can be more than the people who inspired us. All we need is Christ.
Do and Eli