Did you ever play king of the mountain when you were a kid? It was especially fun on a mountain of snow. The idea is that someone, the king, is placed on top of the mound of dirt or snow and then all the other kids attempt to take him down and become king themselves. 

Not too long ago, there was a U.S. boxer that was king of the mountain for years. No one could defeat him. Eventually the ex-champ suffered far too many blows to his head. Before he passed he simply shuffled everywhere he walked while shaking profusely. Gone were the raised fist pumps, sculpted body and braggadocios attitude. 

During an interview with a reporter, he was quoted as saying, “I had the world, and it wasn’t nothin’. Look now.” This fighter did have the world along with the world’s attention. 

His name? Muhammad Ali. Ali won the world heavyweight championship three times. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine more times than any other athlete. 

Many years ago, I visited his training camp property that was for sale at the time. It was run down. Painted on the many rocks around the property were Ali’s famous sayings like, “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.” He would often refer to himself as “The greatest.” Walking the property, I could just picture Muhammad in training sweats running around reading the words on those rocks and easily believing them.

When we push, claw and crawl our way to the top, everyone is eventually toppled; it’s an uncertain victory. Someone will ultimately make their way to the top where we are and be successful at throwing us back down the mountain. So be careful about displaying all those trophies and hanging all those ribbons. There’s so much to learn from Ali and many others stories like his who were once on top of the mountain. 

There was a King who left heaven, not to be king of the mountain, but rather to be a servant who suffered upon a cross on a hill named Golgotha. “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28)