King James

Not everyone survives the demands and rigors of high-level global competition. Yet in our lifetime, we have been fortunate enough to witness a few exceptions.

LeBron Raymone James, currently a free agent in the NBA, is 41 years old. Drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003, he has also played for the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers. Over his illustrious career, he has won four NBA championships: two with the Miami Heat, one with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and one with the Los Angeles Lakers. The title of basketball's "Chosen One" has been justified in more ways than one. By surpassing the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's career scoring record, James became the NBA's all-time leading scorer. As of his most recent NBA contract, he also remains the only player in league history to record more than 10,000 rebounds and 10,000 assists in addition to his extraordinary scoring achievements.

What single word best describes the success of a man who has overcome the strenuous physical demands and natural limitations that confront the average person entering his mid-thirties and approaching forty? Exceptional. If one word is insufficient, then extraordinarily exceptional, because even in his forties his level of production surpasses that of the vast majority of players on NBA rosters.

Many of us, although once athletes ourselves, begin complaining of the aches and pains that commonly accompany the pursuit of post-collegiate careers. Pain in the joints is often diagnosed by physicians as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. Persistent lower back pain may be identified by orthopedic specialists as lumbar strain or a herniated disc. When the suffering is not physical, psychiatrists may call it stress, anxiety, depression, or burnout. None of these undesirable changes, however, occurs overnight.

After earning approximately 120 units required for a bachelor's degree, many of us leave the university without equipping either our bodies or our minds with the discipline necessary to withstand the rigors of everyday life. Consequently, we become vulnerable to serious, life-threatening diseases and physically debilitating illnesses, together with their many complications. Somewhere along the way, a dangerous mentality has been nurtured by a system that exploits youthful ignorance and impulsiveness: "What are hospitals for?" Health itself has become commoditized. Like a car with an empty fuel tank, we simply go to a gasoline station for a refill. If a computer loses power, we bring it to a service center or a trusted technician.

Tires, batteries, and doors are replaceable. Our bones, hearts, and brains are not. Despite the remarkable advances and inspiring stories surrounding organ transplantation, the human body remains irreplaceable. While we all share the same basic human anatomy, each of us is uniquely created. Every individual is an original. No one is a photocopy of another. Not even identical twins possess identical fingerprints. This profound uniqueness is beautifully expressed in Psalm 139:14: "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Hospitals, therefore, are not one-stop shops for replacement body parts.

What makes LeBron James exceptional? He treated his body as his greatest investment. Good health became the foundation upon which everything else was built. Without maintaining his physical condition, he would have had nothing with which to pursue excellence as an elite, highly skilled basketball player. His joints, muscles, and other body systems would have compelled him into early retirement. Instead, practical wisdom and disciplined stewardship of his health have sustained him throughout more than two decades in the world's most competitive basketball league. On the court, he has earned well over half a billion dollars in salary alone. Off the court, one athletic shoe company rewarded him with a lifetime contract reportedly worth approximately one billion dollars.

We do not have to become LeBron James. We do not possess the financial resources required to maintain our bodies exactly as he does. Nor do we all play for multimillion-dollar contracts. Yet each of us has been entrusted with this earthen vessel that houses the person we are. It enables us to earn our daily bread, to comfort and love others, and perhaps to fulfill the purpose for which we were placed in this world.

We may never be able to afford LeBron's expensive anti-inflammatory diet, his regular sessions in hyperbaric oxygen chambers, or his cryotherapy treatments. Nevertheless, with a little scientific understanding and a measure of biblical wisdom, wholesome nutrition can be identified and prepared at relatively little cost. In the beginning, the Creator Himself planted a garden filled with trees, offering abundant choices for food. We are not confined to the deception or propaganda of the serpent. From King James Bible, the enduring truth is still there to be read, learned, and lived.