Mr. Knight I've Got a Suggestion

Nike guru and founder, Phil Knight spoke Thursday at the public memorial service for Penn State Coach, Joe Paterno. The news wires and sports media are all abuzz with the portion of his eulogy that waded into the scandal that preceded the legendary coach's hasty departure from the Happy Valley campus in December. You can see his full tribute here.

While the media arm chair QB's were consumed with his comments about the scandal, I was more struck by a question he asked, "Who will be my hero now?" He started by saying that Coach Paterno had been his hero for 12 years since meeting at a Nike function. He ended by saying he did not know who his hero would be now and that no one knows.

Therein lies the problem for me personally. There's nothing wrong with admiring leaders, visionaries, family, friends, and other people. Taking cues from their lives, faith, careers, model and leadership is admirable and good. However, I think making humans our heroes is misguided. Why? Because EVERY human is flawed in some way. Paul says there is no one without sin, not one person. EVERY one of us is imperfect. Even if they don't fail, or disappoint us personally they will eventually die and we will have no one to follow. I don't know whether Mr. Knight is a man of faith or not. I'm not judging him either. That's not my place.

I just know that for me, I cannot idolize a human in light of ALL God through Jesus Christ has done for me. Now don't misunderstand me, I have heroes of faith and people I admire in athletics, business, politics (okay not so many in that arena), science, literature, theatre, etc., but I don't idolize them. I respect them. I learn from them. I look up to them and they encourage and inspire me, but at the end of the day they are not my life goal. You see, none of them died for me. None of them saved my soul. None of them can carry my burdens. None of them can forgive my sins. None of them can bring eternal comfort and security. Even great ones like Billy Graham, Mother Teresa, C.S. Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, etc., are not my idols. My idolatry starts and ends with God. It's the foundational point of the First Commandment. No God, but God! Only God is to be the apex of our affection, attention, devotion, respect, admiration and love.

When you watch Mr. Knight's eulogy you come away saddened by this particular comment. It's as if he's a little boy on the playground whose father is no longer there to throw the ball and he's desperately searching for his father. Shoes too big to fill by any human. How can someone so powerful, so rich, so smart, so successful utter these words? "Who will be my hero now?" I can't imagine the emptiness he must feel.

Mr. Knight I have a suggestion. Check out these old and precious words by Scottish pastor, Walter C. Smith in one of my faith's oldest hymns:

Immortal, invisible, God only wise, In light inaccessible hid from our eyes, Most blessèd, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, Almighty, victorious, Thy great Name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light, Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might; Thy justice, like mountains, high soaring above Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all, life Thou givest, to both great and small; In all life Thou livest, the true life of all; We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree, And wither and perish—but naught changeth Thee.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light, Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight; But of all Thy rich graces this grace, Lord, impart Take the veil from our faces, the vile from our heart.

All laud we would render; O help us to see ’Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee, And so let Thy glory, Almighty, impart, Through Christ in His story, Thy Christ to the heart.

Now that's a hero! Still not convinced? How about the Apostle Paul's words in Colossians:

¹⁵ The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.¹⁹ For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

When Christ is your hero, you are saddened when humans you love and admire die, but you are not left without hope, or without a hero. He's a hero that helps you get through it!