If you're a football fan, or even if you're not, you've probably heard of Aaron Hernandez, the troubled tight end from the New England Patriots. After years of trouble with the law he finally found himself serving a life sentence for the murder of Odin Lloyd. His recent suicide came as somewhat of a shock, considering that he had just been acquitted in a separate murder case. Perhaps the most surprising detail of the reports is that he had "John 3:16" (it's not clear if he had the actual verse or just the address) scrawled on his forehead. Here are my reflections on the tragic ending of this unfortunate tale.
1) Football isn't that important. I love football. I probably (okay, definitely) love it too much, but being good at football doesn't give you the right to do whatever you want. Being a professional athlete does not render one above the law. Hernandez seems to have discovered that immutable reality altogether too late. He was, by all accounts, a self-absorbed man-child whose first instinct was to lash out in violence towards anyone who disagreed with him. Being his friend was dangerous. It's a shame that so many people gave him a pass for so long. Eventually everyone gets what they deserve, even NFL players. It may not be in this lifetime, but, rest assured, God doesn't care how many accolades you received in your athletic career. None of that will matter when you're standing before the divine tribunal.
2) Grace is powerful. I doubt that Aaron Hernandez died a redeemed man. We have little evidence to suggest that. For a man as immoral as Hernandez to inscribe a Scripture passage on his face (taking a page from his former teammate, Tebow, no doubt), it makes one wonder what sort of consolation he gave himself. While I doubt that Hernandez ever embraced the forgiveness offered in the Gospel, it is not impossible. Could Hernandez have had a religious experience in his final hours? He most certainly could have. Did God change his heart in his final hours? It's possible. Could he have been overcome by the heinousness of his sin and abandoned himself to Christ? I sincerely hope that he did. If your God couldn't have saved the likes of Aaron Hernandez, then your God isn't very powerful, and He certainly isn't the God of the Bible.
3) This world cannot satisfy. To the casual observer Hernandez had everything. He had fame, success, money, love, and family. What else can this world offer? Nothing. There is something, however, that this world cannot offer--reconciliation with the Creator. If one is not right with God, then nothing else matters. At the end of the day Aaron Hernandez hanged himself with a bed sheet in a prison cell. The pleasures of this world could not save him from such an ignominious demise.
4) Justice is never happy. If I'm being perfectly honest, part of me is glad that Hernandez ended his own life. He undoubtedly deserved to give his life for the lives that he had taken. He would have done nothing but added to the financial burden that our country already bears due to a crowded prison system. Justice was served. On the other hand, his suicide is very tragic and sad. As a Gators' and Patriots' fan I can say I would much rather Aaron Hernandez was still putting on a jersey and catching TD passes from the greatest QB of all time, but it goes deeper than that. Any time lives are lost, we should be sorrowful. We should mourn for and with his victims. We should mourn with his family. We should mourn at the depth of his depravity. We should be glad when justice is executed, but we should never be glad that it is necessary.
The sheer volume of morbid stories in the news can begin to numb us to the darkness and depravity of this world, but when we read stories like this, we should reflect on what they mean to us. The death of a former football player may not have any practical effect on us, but it is a good opportunity to pause and consider our own ways and our own priorities. Aaron Hernandez is a perfect example of what happens when we idolize self and fall in love with the world.
1) Football isn't that important. I love football. I probably (okay, definitely) love it too much, but being good at football doesn't give you the right to do whatever you want. Being a professional athlete does not render one above the law. Hernandez seems to have discovered that immutable reality altogether too late. He was, by all accounts, a self-absorbed man-child whose first instinct was to lash out in violence towards anyone who disagreed with him. Being his friend was dangerous. It's a shame that so many people gave him a pass for so long. Eventually everyone gets what they deserve, even NFL players. It may not be in this lifetime, but, rest assured, God doesn't care how many accolades you received in your athletic career. None of that will matter when you're standing before the divine tribunal.
2) Grace is powerful. I doubt that Aaron Hernandez died a redeemed man. We have little evidence to suggest that. For a man as immoral as Hernandez to inscribe a Scripture passage on his face (taking a page from his former teammate, Tebow, no doubt), it makes one wonder what sort of consolation he gave himself. While I doubt that Hernandez ever embraced the forgiveness offered in the Gospel, it is not impossible. Could Hernandez have had a religious experience in his final hours? He most certainly could have. Did God change his heart in his final hours? It's possible. Could he have been overcome by the heinousness of his sin and abandoned himself to Christ? I sincerely hope that he did. If your God couldn't have saved the likes of Aaron Hernandez, then your God isn't very powerful, and He certainly isn't the God of the Bible.
3) This world cannot satisfy. To the casual observer Hernandez had everything. He had fame, success, money, love, and family. What else can this world offer? Nothing. There is something, however, that this world cannot offer--reconciliation with the Creator. If one is not right with God, then nothing else matters. At the end of the day Aaron Hernandez hanged himself with a bed sheet in a prison cell. The pleasures of this world could not save him from such an ignominious demise.
4) Justice is never happy. If I'm being perfectly honest, part of me is glad that Hernandez ended his own life. He undoubtedly deserved to give his life for the lives that he had taken. He would have done nothing but added to the financial burden that our country already bears due to a crowded prison system. Justice was served. On the other hand, his suicide is very tragic and sad. As a Gators' and Patriots' fan I can say I would much rather Aaron Hernandez was still putting on a jersey and catching TD passes from the greatest QB of all time, but it goes deeper than that. Any time lives are lost, we should be sorrowful. We should mourn for and with his victims. We should mourn with his family. We should mourn at the depth of his depravity. We should be glad when justice is executed, but we should never be glad that it is necessary.
The sheer volume of morbid stories in the news can begin to numb us to the darkness and depravity of this world, but when we read stories like this, we should reflect on what they mean to us. The death of a former football player may not have any practical effect on us, but it is a good opportunity to pause and consider our own ways and our own priorities. Aaron Hernandez is a perfect example of what happens when we idolize self and fall in love with the world.
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