The New Orleans Saints Quarterback, Drew Brees, recently eclipsed the all-time passing record and his message for football fans was that everything begins with God. An emotional Brees surpassed hall-of-famer, Peyton Manning, and offered both thanks and advice after the Monday Night Football contest. The league stopped the game after Brees shattered the record while completing an outstanding 26 of 29 passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns in the Superdome. After hugging teammates and handing the ball to Pro Football Hall of Fame president David Baker, Brees embraced his wife and four children before speaking to the media. His accomplishment ranks among the most revered in professional sports, and he offered these words. “There’s so many people that are responsible and had a hand in that,” Brees reportedly said. “The two people that are most responsible for my football career, early on, my mom and my grandpa, are up in heaven. There were a lot of people I wanted to prove right tonight, but none more so than them. I know they are watching down on me.” Turning his thoughts to fatherhood, he shared the advice he gives his children, to the sports world. “I tell them every night before they go to bed, you can accomplish anything in life you’re willing to work for,” Brees reportedly said. “Nothing’s given, everything is earned. God has equipped us for great works. I tell them that every night.”
Drew Brees is not only a good football player but he is a good daddy, as well. However, not all of us can accomplish, in life, what we are willing to work for as Drew suggested. There is more to accomplishment than a willing heart, sweat, tears and hard work. There is more to award winning accomplishment than a good and encouraging mother, father or grandfather. It has always been interesting to me to notice how much we are alike and how much we are different. We have all been blessed with innate abilities and though they may be similar to another’s, they are always going to be a little better or not quite so good. We, for the most part, come into the world looking pretty much the same. We are small, we have a body, with arms, legs and average sized head. At that point none of us are record holders. From there on, we all experience somewhat different outside influences on those body parts. Some are blessed with nice homes, educated parents, well balanced diets and great opportunities to flourish and grow. Others are blessed or not so blessed with middle class or poverty riddled environments, uneducated parents and, sometimes, even a negative life environment. The interesting thing about the environment is how it influences everyone differently. The person coming from the healthy, well to do environment may not be motivated to use his body and brain for anything other than to enjoy what he has been given. While, on the other hand, the one born in poverty may be energized to escape the environment of his youth. He may use every ounce of strength and every cell in his brain to accomplish that desire. What becomes lethargy for one may be a strong desire to achieve for another. Some are born with talents that are recognized by those who will exploit them. Some develop talents that they exploit their environment with. Many just go through life with no interest in finding their talents or in developing them. Records are made to be broken. Records are broken by persons with inborn skills and talents or by persons who have developed the skills to do it. They are broken by individuals born with skills, wealth and opportunity or by one with just a whole potful of determination. Generally speaking, most humans have an inborn desire to test their skills, whether they be physical or mental skills, and to compare them with others. However we use them, I believe, they should be used with kindness and empathy for others. I also believe that one day we will be accountable for how they were used. Someone has said that, ‘Everyone is a self made man but only the successful ones are willing to admit it.’ Those who see every event in life as having value and who look forward to them with joy, and plan for them with care and accomplish them in the spirit of the gospel, will find a great deal of joy and success.