Guys, just a few thoughts I wrote down. Sorry it is so long, but I feel somebody needed to hear this so,.....here it is.
The Jersey
By Ray Lindsay
I often think about these elite athletes that, despite the infinitesimal odds, finally reach their lifelong dream of making to the professional sports level. I am not sure if the average person can really appreciate how incredibly difficult it is to make it to the professional level of ANY sport. Just to put it into perspective: statistically, of the 100,000 high school seniors who play football every year, only 215 (0.2%) will ever make an NFL roster. So in reality, while every kid who ever put on a football uniform dreams of one day slipping on an NFL jersey, you have 2/10ths of one percent chance of ever doing so. I cannot even imagine the overflow of emotions that must come over somebody who defies those odds and gets to put on a jersey with his name on the back. What an honor. What an amazing accomplishment! Just think of your favorite team, or the team that you most respect. Now think of one day being able to finally put on that team's jersey with your name on the back of it. You didn't buy this jersey, you earned it and now you get to wear it with pride. That must be such a fulfilling, emotional experience.
So let's say for a moment that this happened to you. If you were now on the Patriots roster, can you imagine your high school reunion? You wouldn't even need to wear your jersey because everybody would know that you made the team and you are now a Patriot!!! So basically the jersey is now a part of you, part of your identity. Everywhere you go, people will know you represent an organization that is associated with winning; an organization that is steeped in excellence. This is the highest honor you can achieve as an NFL player. So now that you get to enjoy this level of esteem, what is your responsibility as a member of this group? Certainly since you worked so hard, and established your worthiness to wear this jersey, you wouldn't want to do anything to bring dishonor to it, would you? You wouldn't do anything that may jeopardize your standing in this group, right? Would you do ANYTHING that would make you worry about getting a tap on the shoulder and turn around to see somebody standing there, asking you to take it off? I can tell you I wouldn't.
Like so many others, I can point at Aaron Hernandez and just shake my head. How on earth could he blow it like he did? He had EVERYTHING going for him. He was making millions of dollars every year and lived in a mansion. There were young kids everywhere wearing Hernandez jerseys with pride. Now they are ashamed to wear his name and are rushing to take it back and exchange it for somebody else's jersey. Anybody's jersey! He defied all of the odds and rose to level most men could never dream of, only to blow it and now he lives in a cage.
One day recently as I was thinking about the folly of Aaron Hernandez, and assuring myself of how I would act in that situation, I was hit with a revelation. I was given a jersey 17 years ago. It was a jersey that represents the highest esteem. This team is undefeated in the history of mankind, and we have inside information that assures us this team will NEVER be defeated and will win the ultimate championship. This is the team of Jesus Christ, and while I did nothing to earn my way on this team, I am honored to wear the jersey. In fact there is no other jersey I would rather wear. So while I was pointing my finger at Aaron Hernandez, I was suddenly compelled to ask myself how I represent MY jersey. Have I become complacent, since I know I will never get kicked off the team? Have I been strutting around, showing off my jersey while my team mates worked out? Have I turned my back on my team mates that needed my help or missed a key blocking assignment? And lastly, have I been doing things that are not worthy of this jersey or may somehow bring disgrace to it?
I sincerely doubt that Aaron Hernandez saw any of this coming. He became complacent. He was overconfident and he lost his way a little bit every day over a long period of time. I sincerely doubt he ever imagined the disgrace he would bring to his team or even worse, his name. He needed a Godly friend guiding him and instead he was surrounded by a network of enablers. I am so sad for him and he is in my prayers. If I were ever to meet him, I would first ask for him to forgive me for judging him and then ask him if we could pray together.
At this point, I am no longer in a position of judgment for this man. We can all say he got what he deserved, but based on my actions over my lifetime, I never got what I deserved. Instead I got love and I was even asked to join a true dynasty without having to try out. If Aaron Hernandez had somebody open his cell door right now and say, "The trial is over, the judge threw all the charges out! Put this jersey back on and go get back on that field,!" how fast would he run back? With that in mind, I am thankful that my charges were thrown out by the ultimate Judge. The records have not only been sealed, they have been destroyed. I pray that I will always remember that overwhelming feeling when I first wore that coveted jersey. I don't want to wear it anymore with pride, but instead wear it with reverence. I want to always maintain a deep understanding of what this jersey means and never take it for granted. My jersey stays the same, I just need to wear it differently.
