My Bad

How many times have you heard the expression, “my bad” recently? And, in my case, how many times have I said that expression recently? I find myself saying it regularly.

There is debate about the origin of this idiom, and stories range from Shakespeare to Louis Armstrong. However, there is no doubt that an NBA superstar in the 1980s made the phrase mainstream.

Manut Bol was an NBA star in the 80s who came from Sudan to play basketball in America. His native language was Dinka from South Sudan. When he was playing basketball, he did not have a good enough grasp of English to express himself with “my fault,” so he would just say, “my bad.” His teammates picked the saying up and the expression has become conventional idiom.

We have a photograph of Manut Bol and one of our former colleagues who worked in the Horn of Africa. She was a nurse and hardly stood five feet tall. In the photo of her standing beside the 7’7” NBA basketball star, who at the time was the tallest NBA player ever, our former colleague barely came to his waistline.

Everyone makes mistakes, but not everyone is willing to say “my bad.” I have found that good leaders admit their mistakes, and when they do, they show vulnerability. The best leaders own their mistakes and use them to become better leaders.

Proverbs 24:16 tells us, “For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again” (NIV). Everyone makes mistakes; the Bible is clear on that. Mistakes are useful—they teach us what doesn’t work. 

Look around you. Everyone you see has made mistakes, and they will continue to make mistakes.

However, God does not make mistakes. This is Christmas Day. We celebrate the birth of a baby born of a virgin who died a cruel death on the cross. We celebrate Christmas because of the birth of our Savior who was resurrected and now offers eternal life for all who trust in Him. Rejoice!