March 23, 2003: Excel

A piece of advice I like to give to young people is, "Try to become really good at something."

There is joy in skill. I remember my pleasure in watching "Tango," a man in his early 50s who performed every day in the San Jose, Costa Rica city square, keeping a tennis ball in constant motion with feet, head, thighs, back and neck. The ball never touched his arms or the ground. Tango claimed to be the best in the world at this craft, and I don't doubt he was right. I heard that soccer legend Diego Maradona
was once asked if he could do a certain trick with a soccer ball, and he said, "There is only person in the world who can do that, and it is some little old guy in Costa Rica."

My wife once told me that one of the things that brings tears to her eyes is witnessing a truly exquisite performance. I know what she means. You'll find a good example of that emotional rapture in the film Amadeus, where Saliere relives unutterable joy as he calls to mind strains of Mozart's music. I feel some of that too when Baryshnikov executes 11 consecutive pirouettes, or when Allen Iverson disappears from the top of the key and reappears under the basket, or when Mariah Carey hits a note that you almost have to be a canine to hear, or when Garry Kasparov sacrifices a rook at the chess board, or when WMBI's Pastor Donald Cole quietly puts a distraught caller at ease.

Skill is good. I believe it is one of those things (like conscience, pain, and beauty) through which the voice of God speaks and his character is revealed. There are many places in the Bible where God inspires skill. Look at Exodus 31:2-5: “See, I have chosen Bezalel...and filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts - to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship.”

God inspires ability, and we all love to see it. So develop a skill. If you get really, really good at it, you may bring tears to our eyes. (Young people, being good at video games doesn’t count.)