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"If you live long enough, life will trash your trophies."-Dr. James C. Dobson
A few years ago, I was in an antique shop in the USA. Sitting in a corner, covered with dusty decades of neglect, were two tarnished silver tennis trophies. Standing like an old Champion, tall and proud, they reminded me somewhat of long ago famous championship matches, forgotten by all. Each cup stood about one and one half foot with flowing handles on each side, a style used in the early 1900’s much like the US Open Trophy. I bonded, with those long forgotten victors, remembering my own feelings of jubilation as I held aloft the prize. You see all champions, regardless of achievement, share in the hours of toil, sweat and tears unknown to others. As I remember each trophy had a date in the 1920’s, a club name I did not recognize, ‘Men’s Singles Winner’ with no victors names. In this period of history, very few clubs existed and even fewer champions. Maybe I should have respected the memory of those victors and purchased them, but sadly, I passed them by. To this day I carry an emotional attachment for that trophy, from one winner to another. Very, very few trophies survive, and eventually even the memories will perish-Rev. Bob Kraft
Dr. James Dobson, is the founder of Focus on the Family. Dr. Dobson impacts millions of people with his message of family restoration and biblical values on his daily radio program heard around the world. . Here he recounts his tennis memories, trophies and gives us an important message on the where we place our value.
Dr. Dobson: "That takes us back to 1954, when I first arrived on campus as a freshman—wet behind the ears, 18 years of age—and looking for my place in the sun. I loved tennis. I’d come from south Texas, and I played tennis down there 11months out of the year. I played six days a week, two or three hours a day, all day Saturday. I really loved to play tennis, and I was developing a fair ability. I never would have been great, but I was developing some ability in tennis.
I arrived on campus before the other students go there, went over to the Administration Building—kind of strolling around, getting the feel of the campus. I was 2,000 miles from home. I remember walking up to this trophy case that was there in the Administration Building.
There were the trophies from past athletic victories that the college had had—mostly basketball. In the center of this case was a tennis trophy. It was about, at least, two foot high. They build them five foot high today, but in those days, that was a big trophy. It was spiral in nature. It had a cylinder n the center of it, and on it were the names of the students who won the school tournament every year back to 1947. Here were the tennis greats through the years at Pasadena College where I was a student.
I remember salivating as I stood before that trophy case. I looked at that list of names, and I said, "Someday, someday, my name is going to be engraved on the tennis trophy. I’m going to get my name on there as the best tennis player in this school." I had that as a goal. It’s hard to believe today that that would be that important to me. It’s interesting how your values change over time.
But as an 18-year-old, that was one of the chief goals of my life…was to win the school tournament and to get my name, especially, on that trophy, so that freshman, 10 years later, would come and stand before that case and look at my name among the tennis greats. That tells you a little bit about my ego needs at that time. As it turned out…I succeeded in 1957 and 1958. I won the school tournament, and they duly engraved my name on the trophy. That was my legacy to future generations.
I left the school, and that’s been many years. About 10 years ago, Will Spaite’s (a friend) son was up on campus of Pasadena College rummaging around, looking for something, and he found that trophy in the trash. My trophy, with my name on it, and all the tennis greats down through the years since 1947, was summarily thrown away. He found it in the trash. He rescued it, took it home, and they cleaned it up, and Will brought me that trophy. So, I have it in my office today, and there my name is. I might say, the school didn’t even record the 1958 victory, so I’m going to engrave it on there myself.
Isn’t that an illustration of the way life works? If your live long enough, life will trash your trophies. There are only two things that matter: serving God and being acceptable to him and hearing those words, " Well done, thou good and faithful servant," and being ushered into the kingdom forever and ever. The second thing is to take as many as possible with you on that journey into eternity, to serve them while you’re here on earth and to embrace them, and share your faith, and eventually take them with you to meet the Savior on the other side—beginning with your own flesh and blood. That’s were the value system ought to start; that’s where the priorities begin. When it’s all said and done, there isn’t anything else, when you look at it in eternal values, that will last; that will stand the test of time—there’s nothing even in that league. If we feel that way, then we ought to be living our lives accordingly."
Used with permission- Dr. J.C. Dobson
Love to Serve Newsletter Copyright 2000