Kobe Bryant the Legend

My friend texted me that Kobe passed away. My first reaction is.. Are you serious? This is some sick joke right? then it started showing up on the news everywhere. Not only Kobe, but his 13 year old daughter and 7 others in the helicopter crash. Apparently there was bad weather, but they were still given the go ahead to fly to their basketball game.

I never met Kobe in real life, or even seen him play in real life. And yet, it feels like I lost a close friend. Whether you liked the LA Lakers or not, it was obvious that Kobe Bryant put everything he had into being the best basketball player he could be. He had a tremendous impact and influence on a lot of us. We looked up to Kobe, and everyone would yell, "Kobe!" before they took a shot. Some may only see him as a great basketball player, but even off the court, his mentality applies to several aspects to life.

Kobe was a fierce competitor. When fourth quarter came, you of course gave the ball to Kobe, because that's when he most thrives. When the pressure is on, he wants control of the ball. He wants to defend their best player. No one could beat his work ethic. He had more Drive than anyone. He'd train more hours and work hard everyday to achieve his goals. He was committed, determined and passionate to be the best version of himself. He taught self-belief and that there is no substitute for hard work. That also applied to business, and taking care of his family. He would know how to relax and have fun, but when it's time to work, he's maximizing his advantages and grinding at his craft. He'd chase down mentors to learn from them, and ask them questions on how to develop his game better. He'd learn from his failures and challenge himself to grow stronger.

 Again, I probably wouldn't be this torn up about any other celebrity or athlete. It shows how much his philosophy, hard work and mentality really influenced my life. On the court he was an assassin. He was aggressive, quick and paid attention to detail. If it weren't for Michael Jordan, it would be no contest that Kobe Bryant is the G.O.A.T. But for a lot of millennials, he was our Michael Jordan. We grew up watching Kobe on TV. He was our greatest for our generation. He literally played on a different level and tier than anyone else. But this goes beyond just the sport of basketball. Kobe represented a way of life. Kobe was persistent, dedicated, resolved, and had confidence. You attack and fight for your attaining your goals. You don't take short cuts and cheat yourself. You develop the discipline to make your dreams a reality.

His passing is tragic. He was only 41. and really just started his retirement. He had still had so much left to give. His daughter had potential to go to the WNBA one day. Words have a hard time expressing how much he meant. The whole world became devastated with this news. It brings up so much emotions. You feel sick, and even angry that he's gone. Some guys want to change the game of 21, to 24. Many basketball games that day ran out the 24 sec clock and ran out the 8 second backcourt penalty to pay honor and tribute to him. He was really one of a kind and we'll all miss him.

Dimensions of Health

I know some folks that have been dealing with depression, isolation, loneliness, helplessness, loss, regret, emptiness, discouragement, and negative thoughts. It's very easy to see the difficulties of life. It's not always easy to be optimistic and to push yourself to grow, transform and pursue a better life. Setting goals, pursuing them and consistently fighting to become the best version of yourself is not easy. It's challenging. 

When I help folks with these sort of issues, I relate with them well because it's things I also struggle with. It's easy to make excuses, it's easy to stay comfortable and to not want to change. Sometimes we lack the means, the motivation, inspiration, or energy. Or so we often think. The truth is that we really do have the strength and power to change ourselves and our circumstances. Sure there's external things outside of our control, but much of what we can manipulate, cultivate and grow comes from having a strong internal locus of control. You can see this in ambitious people you might know. It's a mindset. A work ethic. A devotion and commitment to achieve their goals. 

As Christians, we honestly have the greatest source of power we can tap into. At any moment, anywhere, anytime, we can be present with the living God. Sure there are some natural formation things we can do to improve ourselves. But there are things that we really cannot do alone. There are things we can only develop, achieve and obtain by surrendering to God. True strength, virtues, holiness, power and love all come from Him. God's grace does not only cover our sins, God's graces sustains us and empowers us to live for his glory.

I know I tend to blog about holistic health pretty often. But it really does apply to all aspects of my life. Sanctification does not just seek God in our spiritual disciplines. Sanctification also seeks to apply spirituality to all areas of health in our life. There are several spheres of health that are all interconnected. When one area of our health is lacking, it impacts us in other ways. And vise versa, when one area of our health is thriving it helps us to flourish in our other categories of health.

This stuff can kinda seem like a no-brainer, and yet I still find myself having to remind myself to focus on all aspects of health.

Spiritual Health
Arguably the center of our health. Drawing closer to God. Being present with God and finding Joy in Him.

Physical Health
A huge aspect of health that can be broken into subcategories that I'll explain. Exercise! Our bodies were meant to move! Hygiene. Medication management. Actually seeing the doctor.

Nutrition
This deserves it's own category. Eating right consistently is critical to our entire well being. We generally already know what's good and bad for ourselves.

Sleep
Nothing good happens after 2pm. Go to sleep early and get the rest we need. Setting a consistent routine sleep cycle.

Emotional Health
Our mood really does effect our day to day choices. This aspect of health is closely tied to our behavior. Sometimes we let our emotions get the best of us. It takes some introspection to understand ourselves.

Cognitive Health
Also known as intellectual health. We need to think about our thoughts and often change the way we perceive and think.

Financial Health
The discipline of saving money, investing, budgeting and not over spending.

Occupational Health
What we do for a living isn't our identity, but our vocational calling does play a role in pursuing our purposes. Not everyone has the luxury to work doing something they love. But regardless of what career we're in or pursuing, we can make a difference. Hard work pays off.

Environmental Health
I consider this one's living situation. Maintaining a orderly home. A safe place of peace, restoration and not of conflict.

Relational Health
A vital aspect of health that often gets neglected. It often takes intentionality to reach out to friends, grow in community and create opportunities of kindness. Quality time comes out of quantity time.

I remember..

I remember being so deeply in love with God. I remember being filled in awe. I remember God non-stop speaking to me and drawing me closer. I remember tasting the depth of his love. I remember being so fascinated by the things unseen. I remember wanting nothing more than to spend just a few more minutes being synchronized in communion with God. I remember a burning uncontainable joy that I used to have. I remember listening to worship music non-stop, and hearing God whisper to me in so many different ways. I remember encountering the power of his Holy Spirit. I remember my faith being stronger than how it's been lately. I remember having tons of christian friends and having long deep conversations, reading and studying the bible daily, listening to different authors, pastors and teachers,, going to bible studies, going on retreats, doing ministry, being discipled and making disciples. I remember not needing a reason to do something, except to glorify God and make him first. I remember pursuing obedience and holiness because I desired to grow in intimacy with God. I remember the energy I used to have. I remember seeing and feeling God through the midst of dark depression days. I remember getting tons of visions and dreams. I remember always having worship in my heart, and learning to die to myself. I remember God's grace covering all of my sins, guilt and shame. Why are these only things I can remember and not more present with me today?

Sometimes i can't tell if i'm too hard on myself.. or not hard enough.. Seminary filled me with a lot of head knowledge, but somehow I've forgotten a sense of heart knowledge. Somewhere I began seeing going to church, reading the bible, and other spiritual disciplines feel like it was more of a chore rather than a desire. Somewhere the the idols of this world crept in more and more. Pursuing a relationship, seeking material wealth, seeking entertainment and comfort more than anything else. Somewhere down the line, I became less passionate, less confident, less in tuned with putting my faith in God first. I made excuses. I stopped, "feeling it." I became a fat lazy sloth. I lacked community and accountability. I had a much harder time sensing God, and only focused on living for myself. Seeking something to fill the void and yet never being satisfied. I wrestled with my sinful ways and in a sense closed myself off from seeking God. I fell into despair, depression and a negative attitude. I feel like I lost my way and ran off like a prodigal son. I ran off trying to seek happiness in people and things. God has been with me the whole time, but I have not acknowledged him and treasured him as he deserves. I guess my heart hardened and I wandered in a dark ocean. Sure there are always a few moments when I run back to the Father. But then why do I continue to run away again like a prodigal son? Why am i so inconsistent? Why do i continue to struggle to live for him? Why does my heart keep seeking idols before him? Why have I drifted so far? Why have I become so blind and deaf? Open my eyes and ears to see and hear you Father.

I had a co-worker mention how he is against "organized religion" and going to church. There's a lot that I completely understood. There's leaders in ministry that don't set a good example. there's bad examples of christians for sure. There's cults and distorted teaching. There's so much division and controversy surrounding the Bible. My friend thinks, "well if the Bible was written by flawed men, (who apparently are inspired) then how exactly can we take the Bible as reliable and true?) He had several arguments and personal beliefs and legitimate questions and concerns. in listening to his different beliefs, it made me realize how important my beliefs were to me and how I haven't been matching up to my beliefs. He talked about how Christians are hypocritical. And i completely understand that. He didn't like being told what to do or how to live. And i dunno, it just feels like God used a conversation to remind me of all the things that I do hold to be true. There's somethings that require faith that I can't explain well. There's One True God, the Bible is true and Jesus really did die for my sins to give his church salvation and reconciliation, justification and sanctification. Life isn't pointless. This life isn't the end. There is a loving God, not just waiting in the afterlife of heaven but a loving God outside of time that is always with us at every moment. My friend didn't get the point of knowing who God is. He didn't want to go to heaven forever. He just wanted to live for himself and then die and have that the end.

 Somehow hearing his very different views, increased my faith. Two other Christian co-workers also jumped in the conversation and were trying to convince him of the positive things of church and the truth of scripture. My other friend wasn't interested in subscribing to Christian things. He believed that there were or are several different gods. Trying to argue the truth and reality of scripture and God isn't always easy when they haven't really experienced God, or have only experienced a negative view of church. He ended up leaving because he had to go. And even tho he didn't really change his mind about things, maybe he will at least give it more thought. He likes basketball, so i said, "Yeah there are definitely some bad coaches and you can have bad teammates, but that doesn't mean there aren't good coaches and good teammates out there." And he said, "yeah that's actually a good point." that he understood. so even if we may not break through to someone.. in a way we have to let the Holy Spirit do his work. idk.. somehow, it reminded me how important it is to actually be confident in my faith and what I believe is true, and who i believe God is. God used this conversation to really remind me what is valuable and how our spiritual life far surpasses this physical world. So if God is who I believe he is, and the God of the Bible is very true, my life should follow in accordance and in joyful obedience. Ask and it shall be given to you, Seek and ye shall find, knock and the door will be open unto you.. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.