A Saintly Lesson

I was thinking of the common disclaimer, “I’m no Saint.” Translated, it means, “Please don’t think much of me because I’m not who you think I am.” I’ve heard people say it as recently as about one week ago and what a difference that makes in light of last night’s Superbowl. The interpretations abound when it comes to the word Saint but the standard connotation is that it is reserved for those who have exhibited exceptional holiness of life. And if we apply that definition, most of humanity is certainly disqualified…arguably all of humanity.

But there’s a common thread between how the bible articulates the notion of Saint and how the New Orleans Saints performed yesterday. Simply put, the common thread is, in a word, Desire. And it’s not that mere unrelenting resolve gets you what you want. One does have to acquire skills and execute those skills under the right conditions to see the desired goal realized. But make no mistake that whether in a daily walk of trying to emulate the incarnate Jesus or mixing blitz packages against one Peyton “Future Hall-of-Famer” Manning, Desire is the key component.

Disqualification begins in the mirror and quickly becomes a cop-out for so many of us. “I could never do this, start that endeavor, travel to that nation to assist the poor, mentor that young person, be a better parent, earn a college scholarship…” Need I go on? Today is the day that you’re here, with your intellect, with your lessons learned with your intent and most importantly with God’s advocacy if your purposes are not ignoble activities you’ve rationalized.  If we’ve learned anything from Drew Brees and friends, it’s that today, you can attempt what others have said you don’t deserve to attain. You can be better. Period!