In good times, and in bad, it is necessary to keep proper perspective

Published 12:00 am Friday, January 11, 2008

Harold Keller

This week, LSU won the National Championship defeating Ohio State 38-24. With the win, they received another crystal football to go with the one they won in 2004.

Did the victory change anything of significance? Did it help us with a victory in Iraq? Did it find a solution to the murder rate in New Orleans? Did it affect the price of gasoline?

The answer to all these questions is no, not maybe, but no. What did it do?

It gave people something to rally around and get excited about. It gave many people another reason to eat, drink, and be merry. It was as one headline read: “Party Time on Tiger Mountain.”

I never heard of Tiger Mountain, but I remember reading about Mt. Sinai in the Bible (Exodus 31). It was on this mountain that God gave Moses the Ten Commandments – not suggestions but commandments. This all happened after God freed the people from slavery in Egypt.

After experiencing all the miracles that lead to their freedom and experiencing even more in the wilderness, they still rebelled against God. They were commanded not to make any strange gods before Him. In their arrogance, they chose to make a golden calf to worship instead of a living God.

I saw pictures of all the fuss made over a crystal football and people acting as though this was one of the most important experiences in their lives.

There is a word that describes that feeling – vanity!

I was reminded of a Super Bowl played in New Orleans between Chicago and New England. Chicago won easily, and as two of the stars left the game early to standing ovations, it was reported that Jim McMann, the Chicago quarterback, said to Walter Peyton, “All my life I dreamed of this. Is that all there is to it?”

If you have any questions, or comments, please write to Get High on Life, P.O. Drawer U, Reserve, LA 70084, call (985) 652-8477, or e-mail: hkeller@comcast.net.