Devotional: Muhammad Ali: A Personal Tribute

I like sports and I have had favorite sports figures over the years. Some I have admired their abilities but may not have particularly liked the persons. Some I have had an affinity for even though they may not have been recognized as one of the elite or greatest players. Over the years there were two sports figures that were superstars and I had a great affinity for them. They were Lew Alcindor who changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Cassius Marcellus Clay who changed his name to Muhammad Ali. These two men are about four to six years older than me and I grew up admiring their greatness. Muhammad Ali won the gold medal in the 1960 Olympics as the light heavy weight champion at the age eighteen. In 1964 at age twenty-two he defeated Sonny Liston winning the World Heavyweight title in boxing. In 1964 he announced his change in religion becoming a member of the Nation of Islam. In 1967 he refused to be inducted into the military citing his objection to the war in Viet Nam on the basis of his religious beliefs. He was stripped of his title, sentenced to five years in prison, and banned from boxing. He appealed to the Supreme Court and won. He was allowed to return to boxing and eventually he became world champion again. Through all of his struggles I have never heard Muhammad Ali speak bitterly against anyone. When he won the Supreme Court decision he was ready to be reconciled to the boxing world. He became one of the world’s most popular heroes. He stood up for what he believed, but he did not allow his differences with other people to keep him from reaching out to anyone who needed a helping hand. He spoke up for justice for all people because he believed that it is what God expects us to do. In 1996 I saw Muhammad Ali light the Olympic torch in Atlanta, Georgia. There was no bitterness, no hatred, and no desire for revenge. Up until now I had admired the boxing champion. Now I saw him as a man of integrity and a man willing to forgive his country that had wrongly judged and condemned him. When I think about Muhammad Ali I think of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-37. He was a man who was looked down on by others, but he had a heart for people who were from the race of people who rejected him. The more I think about Muhammad Ali the more I see a man who did not claim to be a Christian. Yet, he possessed so many qualities that Jesus commands His followers to take hold of and live by. Muhammad Ali transitioned from this life to the next life on June 3, 2016 at the age of seventy-four. As I reflect, I think that he is the first celebrity that I feel that I have lost a significant person in my personal life. May God bless his wife, children and other members of his family? Heavenly Father, I thank you for using the life of Muhammad Ali to remind me of how I ought to treat my fellow brothers and sisters. Amen.