The NBA, Redemption and Manute Bol

The Wall Street Journal ran an interesting column the other day regarding the life and death of Manute Bol. If you are familiar with Bol, it is probably because, at a height of 7 feet, 7 inches, he is the tallest player to have played in the NBA. Throughout his ten year career, he established himself as one of the greatest shot-blockers of all time. He is perhaps even more remembered by many who saw him for his spindly frame (though 7’7”, he weighed only 225 pounds) and his extremely awkward looking three point shots.

But it was what Bol did off the court that truly set him apart. A Christian Sudanese immmigrant, Bol believed that his life was a gift, entrusted to him so that he might serve God and others. He gave away most of the money he earned throughout his career (approximately $6 million) to assist Sudanese refugees.

In a sports world where the term “redemption” is tritely overused, Bol understood and found true redemption in Jesus Christ, and it motivated everything he did in his life, including the way he died. May we all, like Manute Bol, know where redemption is truly needed and where it can be found. And may we all, like him, humble ourselves and be willing to be “fools for Christ.”

You can read the Wall Street Journal column here.

(HT: TGC)