After a week of stories about Kobe Bryant’s life and death you probably don’t have the bandwidth left for more. But, if you do, there is a deeper truth that is relevant to you and me.
Around 55 A.D. the Roman philosopher Seneca described life then and now when he said, ‘To be everywhere is to be nowhere.’ Sounds like what the internet has brought us in more ways than one. In 2009, Jordan Grafman, head of neuroscience at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke confirmed what Seneca the Younger said. Dr. Grafman concluded the internet allows us to gather information from everywhere in a momentary click resulting in our brains ability to be more nimble when it comes to multitasking. But, the price of this convenience is a decreased ability to think deeply and creatively. In layman’s terms, we become a mile wide but an inch deep.
Kobe Bryant’s death is a reminder of MY need to not just assimilate data but to always slow down and go deeper. True confession, when the news broke of Kobe’s death I was more appalled at the content and veracity of coverage than I was sympathetic. I grew up a Lakers fan and appreciate Kobe’s talent but…150,00 people die and 125,000 babies are aborted each day. Where’s the outpouring of sympathy for these deaths? Are these lives less important and their deaths have less impact?!
I am jaded by this age of favoritism towards celebrities. To me, Kobe’s death was the latest example of the world’s misguided focus. I gathered the data and wanted to quickly move on. But, upon a deeper search and reflection, I was missing something.
Everywhere I turned the next few days it seemed like all I heard about was Kobe; and it irritated me. The internet even provided me a (fake) news story about Marines being killed the same day. Marines dying didn’t get the attention Kobe did! I had enough of Kobe by Sunday night. Still, in this age of IOT, I continued to be bombarded with more data on Kobe and I was not enjoying the deeper dive.
Going deeper into Kobe’s story revealed age old truths that eventually changed my mind. With so much data and fake news, keeping an open mind can be more difficult each day. Deeper truths aren’t always found with an initial search, but truth can be a journey.
When the news broke I heard the accolades of him being a great family man and a fierce competitor. MY first thoughts were the 2003 accusations of rape and the tales of his sexual exploits that rivaled Wilt Chamberlain. Then, I thought of his feud with Shaq and the hurtful things they both said about each others children and careers. My first thoughts were the worst and I didn’t go deeper, until…I ran into the mercy he gave and received. Then, my whole mindset started to change.
Kobe was an athlete with wealth and great talent. Kobe was a superstar, an icon…most things people admire and covet in this world. The deeper truth is that Kobe was really a poster child of mercy and forgiveness.
Mercy is when someone doesn’t get what they deserve. Mercy is when you give compassion or forgiveness to someone when you could punish or harm them. Mercy requires an open mind and the willingness to change. Are you listening Washington, DC?
I learned that Kobe was forgiven by some of the people he hurt and offended the most. People who had good reason to dislike or even hate Kobe, had forgiven him (Shaq Opens Up). I learned that Kobe had confessed (Kobe’s Faith), and apologized regarding the rape accusation years earlier. I learned the truths taught us by the Judaeo-Christian God of Creation are hard wired into all of us when we go deeper…and Kobe learned that. Read the Bible and be reminded as well.
‘Whoever conceals their sin does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy’ Proverbs 28:13.
Broadcast news and journalism will focus headlines to get your attention but not to lead you into the deeper truths…and definitely not to the Bible. James (the half-brother of Jesus, not LeBron) reminds us that favoritism towards the rich and famous has been around forever. The Bible teaches when you show favoritism you ‘discriminate among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts.’ James 2:4. So, whether your favoritism is to the iconic athlete, the candidate of the political party of your choice or your self, judgement and evil thoughts is the quick result you can expect.
The need to go deeper into meditating on God’s Word has never been more front and center. The need to go deeper has also never been more difficult. We are simply becoming a product of how the internet is re-wiring our brains (The Shallows…What The Internet Is Doing To Our Brains). The conveniences we use each day are causing us to revert to simple hunting and gathering of information. We are literally becoming more shallow with more internet searches. A deeper truth of Kobe’s life and death reveals that he developed a conscious, active search of God’s Word (Kobe’s Faith Emerges).
The Bible teaches mercy is a spiritual gift that comes from God. You can give it and you can receive it. Christ reminds us, ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.’ Matthew 5:7. You tend to get what you give…and what you search for.
You have to search the Bible for deeper truth. Then, you have to ‘think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God’. If you don’t buy into this, you will ‘become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity…full of gossip…God-haters with no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy.’ Romans 1:28-31. Look around and tell me what you see.
The world will not lead you to deeper truths. The world will lead you to be judge and jury. The darker conclusion of life in 2020 is that without God’s Word and a deeper dive into it, we all simply become judge and jury.
When a spouse files for divorce we can judge without knowing the deeper truths of the marriage. We can judge a neighbor’s kid when they come home at 2 am talking loudly…we can judge an athlete by his past adultery…we can judge a President’s impeachment by his party affiliation. When we judge without remembering God’s Word on mercy it leads to a bad place with bad consequences.
‘Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgement without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgement’ James 2:12-13. THIS scripture is a full court buzzer beater that can change the game.
I don’t know where you need to be more merciful today. Kobe’s death reminded me that I need to always be more merciful. Death is a great teacher. God is a better teacher. The Bible reveals the deeper truths regarding everything.
There is a deeper truth in Kobe’s death. Without a growing faith in God we are destined to swim in the shallow end of the pool…and be judgmental without showing mercy.
#Kobe…..Lord, ‘Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.’ Psalm 90:12.