What do Michael Vick, Pacman Jones and Terrell Owens have in common? They are the role models of a 12 year old I met today. I was serving at a children's day camp with several of our students today for M*A*S*H week. At the end of the day, I had some time to just chat with one of the eighth graders I had the opportunity to tudor earlier. I asked him what he did for fun, and he said that he liked to play football. I followed that question with, "So who is your favorite football player?" His response was, "Michael Vick." He then followed that with, "And my favorite team is the Cowboys." It was hard for me to keep asking questions, because I was quite shocked. I didn't have time to follow-up on those answers, because the children left to go to lunch, and our group left for the day.
I'll give the kid a pass on the Cowboys answer, because he may like other players on the team besides Pacman and T.O., but it's hard for me to overlook the fact that a 12 year old's favorite football player is a convicted felon. I love football, and I know Vick is an incredible athlete. But something is sincerely wrong when Vick hasn't played football in over a year, may never play again yet he is still the role model of a child! How much did this little guy even see Vick play at age 10 and under?
As a lover of sports, kids and God, this moment was a sad time in my life. Our culture and media push sin into the limelight to the point that children begin to see it as okay. I hope today's experience motivates me even further to love people and show them a role model that exudes the character of Christ. Do you realize how much our world needs Christ? Be sure to put a real life example of a Godly role model in front of the people you minister to on a daily basis. You may be the one flicker of light in a culture of darkness, and your light may be the one that brightens their path to Jesus. In fact, Jesus said it best when He made this
statement.
