Chris Carter, an all-pro wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings, tells the story of a college athletic recruiter visiting his home when Chris was 12 years old, trying to recruit his older brother to play basketball for Indiana. During the visit, Chris’ mom said to the recruiter, “You need to come back in a few years because the best athlete in the house is my youngest son, Chris. He’s phenomenal.”
Chris said he never forgot his mom’s words and that she believed in him. “No matter what trials I went through,” Chris said years later, “I held on to what my mom said. All along, I was meant to do something special. When I get up in the morning, I put my two feet on the ground, look at them, and say, ‘We’re going somewhere today, and we’re going to help some people.’ Because my life was meant for something. I am not just traveling through life; I am going somewhere. I feel like I am being pulled through life, headed somewhere. There is a Bible verse I live by: ‘I strive for a clear conscience before God and man.’ When I look in the mirror, I like what I see. I’m not perfect, but I like what I see.” – Chris Carter, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver (1987-2002)[i]
There is deep spiritual maturity in those words. It takes a great deal of inner reflection and awareness to come to that place. It demonstrates that he is not living from the ego but from a place of inner wisdom and peace. “Striving for a clear conscience” indicates that he goes through life mindfully with wisdom and discernment. A person then has fewer regrets.
I hope that you too will come to a place in your life where you can say, “When I look in the mirror, I like what I see.”
[i] Awbry, Scott spiritualpassages.com