Odds are against Oden

Recently, I was watching highlights from ESPN and my heart began to break as I watched injury-prone Portland Trailblazer’s Greg Oden carted off on a stretcher, an all-too familiar scene that will end yet another promising season for the big man due to reconstructive surgery.

Life is a fickle thing. At one moment you can be on top of the mountain and at the next you find yourself stuck in the valleys. Oden has lived this paradox.

After playing a promising collegiate freshman season—playing for a national championship—Oden was atop the sporting world, seemingly having his dreams come true. Touted as the best promising big man to play in decades, he was drafted as the first overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft—ahead of Oklahoma Thunder’s star Kevin Durant, a current MVP candidate in the league. Since then, Oden has lived in the valleys of life as chronic injuries have plagued his playing time, sidelining him for more than 176 games over the course of three seasons, and leaving his critics to wonder “What if?”

Now maybe you can relate with Oden to some degree. Maybe you find yourself filled with disappointment and unfulfilled longings. Maybe you were granted the job of your dreams, just to have an unexpected terminal illness render you bankrupt. Maybe you were given a coveted promotion, just to be unemployed weeks later. Maybe you have hoped for years to conceive, just to miscarry. Maybe you married the love of your life, just to tragically lose them in the following months.

Life is filled with “What if?” moments. And even though it is part of the healing process, the questioning is unfortunately pointless to ponder too long. Inevitably it leads to nothing of benefit. Sure, everyone wants to enjoy the mountain-top experience: the view is much better, the air is much cleaner, and the perspective is much clearer. But few realize that the vegetation is found in the valleys—that is where the most growth occurs.

So the next time you’re tempted to consider “What if?”, choose instead to consider “What now?” Because as Ecclesiastes tells us, it’s not wise to ask, “Why were the old days better than these?”

Editorial