“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” – Philippians 2:3-4
I recently had the opportunity to attend a special celebration to honor Creed Humphrey. Creed Humphrey is from Shawnee, OK and is a real hometown celebrity. Creed is best known for his tremendous success as a football player. While at Shawnee High School, Creed earned All-state and U.S. Army All-American honors. In college, Creed would play for the University of Oklahoma. He would once again excel, being named the Big XII Offensive Lineman of the Year as well as, once again, being named an All-American. Creed would be drafted into the NFL and plays for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Creed Humphrey’s career has been more than successful in the NFL. Kansas City became the Super Bowl champions, just this past season. The Kansas City Chief’s offensive line, anchored by Creed Humphrey, was key to winning the game as they protected their MVP quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, and allowed 0 sacks the entire game. In just two seasons in the NFL, Creed has already been named All-Pro. Few people in the world have achieved this level of success in the game of football and it is fun to see a local Oklahoman become so successful.
During the celebration, several people spoke about Creed. Many wonderful things were said about him. His athletic accomplishments were highlighted. Perhaps the most notable thing said about Creed was a sentence, spoken by the Mayor of Shawnee, just before he presented Creed the key to the city. Ed Bolt, the Mayor of Shawnee, noted that, “Creed has stayed humble and kind even with all his accomplishments.”
I cannot think of a better thing to be said about a person. Creed has many worthy accomplishments to celebrate. That day the community, including many young athletes, showed up to cheer on their local celebrity. What they witnessed was a person who took time to be kind and grateful to everyone. In the crowd of young people, there may have been another young athlete that will go on to great success, but each of them can be humble and kind. Even those of us who are far beyond the age of playing professional sports can excel at kindness.
– Rev. Keith King, Pastor of Worship
