Lebron James, arguably the NBA’s greatest athlete, has made the switch from Cleavland to Miami; and not everyone likes it. In fact, the Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert called Lebron’s leaving a “cowardly betrayal” and youtube videos have even come up of former fans destroying his Cleavland jersey. Gilbert also referred to Lebron as a “former hero.”
So how do you respond when heroes fail you? A few thoughts:
- Remember, heroes are people too. Lebron’s a ball player with a goal: win. If Cleavland’s not accomplishing that goal then it makes perfect sense to look elsewhere. No blame there.
- Put yourself in their shoes.
- Know the difference between a hero who makes a decision you don’t like and a hero who fails morally. Lecbron made a career choice. He didn’t fail morally. If we’re upset at Lebron for leaving Cleavland how upset are we at other athletes who’ve made serious moral failures?
- Learn lessons from others’ mistakes. Why make your own mistakes when you can learn from others?
I guess we’ll be looking out for Miami this year!
Jeff and his wife, Lauren, began their ministry at Bethel in June 2006. They have two sons, Aiden and Carter.