Well This Has Been Unexpected

“I’m LeBron James, from Akron, Ohio, from the inner city. I’m not even supposed to be here."

So said the now two-time NBA champ when asked about all his haters.  And it's true: haters can hate, but James is happy with what he's done, and he should be.  It's also a reminder that while we can hold him to an impossible standard of excellence because of his considerable talents, we should also marvel at how far he has come and how much he has overcome.

I especially like the "I'm not even supposed to be here" part.  It is an acknowledgement of how dissonant it is for someone of his background to be among society's royalty in fame, fortune, and achievement.  What a country we live in, and what inner strength by James to push through so many obstacles en route to the mountaintop of success.

James' path is almost straight up.  Mine is much more sideways.  But I often feel the same feeling of "I'm not even supposed to be here."  I was a painfully shy kid from suburban San Jose.  By all accounts, I should be productively toiling away at a high-paying and well-regarded technical job in Silicon Valley, geographically and relationally close to my parents, and avoiding controversy.  Instead, I'm 2,500 miles from where I grew up, running a small business that has me in the middle of a swirl of co-workers and clients and politicos and power brokers, mixing it up on issues of taxes and policy and race and religion and cities and justice.

Where my life has gone is not inherently better than where you'd expect it to go if you knew me as a kid - that's not the point I'm making.  Indeed, where I've ended up might be considered sideways or even downward, depending on what you value.  My point is that you never know where you'll end up.  I believe that if you trust God, and even when you don't (I didn't become a Christian until I was 18, and since then have obviously had moments - nay, entire seasons - when I wasn't really walking right with God), He will guide you to a place that will be fuller and grander than you could've imagined.  Even if it doesn't seem like it's better in the world's eyes.  And even if it doesn't seem likely at all when you first started.  

I'm Lee Huang, from San Jose, California, from the suburbs.  I'm not even supposed to be here.  And I'm loving every minute.