Thoughts on Barry Bonds

It's finally over ... last night in San Francisco Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron's celebrated home run record. Barry Bonds has now hit 756 home runs. Wow. A record that once seemed untouchable has now been broken. On such a momentous occasion, it seems like sports fans would be going crazy. But in reality there is a wide variety of opinions regarding Bonds and his new record. Under a cloud of steroid use accusations, the record seems tainted somehow. Now realize it has never been proven 100% that Barry Bonds has used steroids. At this point it is merely accusations which are based on some rather questionable practices in the late 90s and early 2000s when Bonds really began chasing history with extraordinary superman type performances.

Bonds has always been a good, if not great, baseball player. But it was during those years in question that Bonds emerged as baseball player extraordinaire. And it is the accusations that surfaced from those years that will forever taint this historic moment in baseball history.

As I reflected on this event, I am reminded of the absolute importance of character. At the end of the day, it does not matter what I have accomplished in life if my character is in question. It does not matter how many home runs I hit, how many sales I make, how many dollars I raise, how many people I attract, how big my organization becomes, how broad my influence stretches, how many books I write, how large my bank account is, how much I own, how many records I break, or how big my church is. What really matters is who I am as a person.

What really matters is who I am in the training rooms of life. What really matters is who I am when no one else is watching. What really matters is who I am when the door is closed and the wife and kids are not around. What really matters is who I am in the dark. That's where character is truly tested.

I can never break a record and still be a great dad. I can never lead the company in sales and still be a person of integrity. I can never live in a capacious house or drive a luxury vehicle or own extravagant things and still be a person of character. I can never lead a big church or be CEO of the company and still be a faithful and loving husband. You see it does not matter if my name ever makes it to the limelight. What matters is whether I am a man who is "blameless" and "above reproach."

God blesses both the righteous and the wicked. Some times in life those who seem to live life with no regard for God are those who receive the most attention. And those who are faithful men and women of character go unnoticed .... or should I say unnoticed by other people. In reality character never goes unnoticed. God is always watching.

It does not matter if you are in a pit in a field thrown there by your brothers or imprisoned as a slave in a caravan headed for Egypt or sleeping in the servant's quarters of Potiphar's house or being falsely accused for a crime you did not commit or sleeping on the concrete floors of an Egyptian dungeon or forgotten about by those who have made you specific promises or if you are second in charge of the largest kingdom on earth, character always matters and character never goes unnoticed.

Did Barry Bonds use steroids to help him break the home run record? I don't know. I am not sure anyone will ever know for sure. What I do know is that his record will forever be marred by a man whose character has been called into question. In the last few years, Barry Bonds always seems to come across as a jerk - his attitude, his reactions, his comments, his demeanor, his public persona. Is that the real Barry Bonds? I am sure his wife and kids would say no. But for the rest of us there will always be questions. Do you know why? Character matters.

When we die, it will not matter how many home runs we belted. What will matter are the relationships we will leave behind and whether we ran the race to the end and perhaps more importantly, whether we ran with integrity.