“In those days the Philistines gathered their
forces to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, ‘You must understand that
you and your men will accompany me in the army.’
David said, ‘Then you will see for yourself what your servant can
do.’
Achish replied, ‘Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.’”
In the first few verses of 1st Samuel,
Chapter 28, we read an almost obscure portion of a larger story in which King
Saul consults with the Witch of Endor, and summons up the Prophet Samuel from
the dead.
In this particular segment to which I alluded, Achish
of the Philistines tells David that he will make him his bodyguard for life;
without, apparently, asking the future king of Israel what he wants to do with
the decades which stretch out before him.
Dear readers, I can tell you, I’ve “been there;” when
people thought they knew what was good for me; better than I knew for myself.
After I came to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and reached the conclusion that God wanted me to attend a local Bible
college, my parents “pulled me from pillar to post” in an attempt to persuade
me otherwise. Well, to be fair what transpired wasn’t quite that dramatic. My
dad and I sat down with his minister, and later he arranged a similar meeting
with my pastor and a dean from the college. As it fell together, I compromised,
and attended a community college my freshman year, but, as a sophomore,
transferred to the afore mentioned Bible college.
And as I have implied, my father had resolved that
nothing good could come of such an undertaking. However, I can tell you that a
great deal of good came of it. I finished my Bachelor’s degree in Education,
and four decades later returned to the same school, (now a university) as an
adjunct professor. And, interestingly enough, by this season in my life both my
parents expressed what a fine school it was, and how glad they were that my
plans had fallen together in the manner they’d fallen together.
Pt. 2
A quarter of a century after the snafu with my father,
I was on the verge of finishing my graduate degree in counseling, and I
arranged to meet with a long-time pastor about my decision to relocate to a
larger church; in which I hoped to contract as a pastoral counselor. As a
result, and after having shared my perspectives with “Bro. Higgins,” he
expressed the strong reservation that my decision to leave was flawed, and
nothing good could come of it.
And not unlike my decision to attend the college of my
choice, I followed through with my decision to transfer to the much larger
church. As a result, I was provided the opportunity to administer a thriving
pastoral counseling agency, and did so for a decade and a half. During my
tenure there, I averaged upwards of twenty cases a week, and met with thousands
of families, couples and individuals.
Then, there was the situation in which our youth
minister and his wife reached the conclusion that it was time to move on to
“greener fields.” After they moved from central Florida to Pennsylvania,
“Pastor Boyington” shared his personal persuasion with me that “Randy” and
“Shirley” were “off on a wild goose chase,” and that they couldn’t help but be
disillusioned with the results of their quest.
However, Randy and Shirley were determined to follow
the dream with which God stirred their hearts, and have, with the passing of
years, planted an impactful church in the Pittsburgh area. On the other hand,
as I understand it, Pastor Boyington is no longer a pastor, but has gone on to
work in a secular profession.
But to return to the scripture with which I began my
monologue.
“I will make you my bodyguard for life.”
David might well have responded,
“Well, that’s mighty good of you, dear sir, but
honestly, I don’t want to be your bodyguard for another year, much less the
rest of my natural life.”
Pt. 3
I once wrote a blog in which I promoted the notion
that God has a plan for every believer, and how it behooves us to discover it.
I titled that particular blog, “The Shot Must Choose
You.”
I love one particular scene in the
movie, “Bagger Vance.”
But to back up a bit. In this movie
Matt Damon and Will Smith portray an exceptional amateur golfer, and what I
refer to as a “golf angel.”
Matt (movie name, “Junah”) finds
himself playing in an exhibition match against the two best professional
players in the world. Will, (movie name, “Bagger”) has been sent to help him
with his game, but more so, to increase his belief in himself, and his own
abilities.
After falling 10 or 12 strokes behind
the leader, and as Junah steps up to the 12th hole, and his club is
on the backswing, Bagger interjects, “Suh, you’re doing this all wrong. The way
you’re going about this match won’t never work!”
Junah lowers his club, takes a step
backwards, and stares at Bagger in unbelief.
“You stop me in mid-swing to tell me
that? I’ve chosen my shot, and you just interfered with me completing it.”
Bagger smiles a whimsical smile, and
responds, “You don’t choose your shot… The shot must choose you.”
Junah is incredulous. “What? What? The
shot must choose me? Why, that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard!”
To which Bagger grew very serious, and
appeared to be preparing for some momentous revelation.
“Mr. Junah, in all the world there’s
only one true, authentic shot. One shot that’s right for that particular green,
for that particular hole on the course. The shot must choose you.”
Junah seemed to pause and reflect, and
it was as if suddenly, he gets it. After reflecting an additional moment he
steps up to his mark, and asks Bagger for a different golf club. He gazes upon
the hilt, the shaft, and the business end of the club, draws back, and strikes
the ball.
And it was as if time slows down, and
the crowd follows the ball with their gaze. Its arch and velocity sends it
hurdling directly towards the flag. And the ball drops within feet of its
target. Junah’s audience roars its appreciation, and a smile breaks out on our
hero’s face.
“You know, Bagger, don’t let anybody
tell you no different. You are one great caddy!”
Bagger smiles, and responds. “Why, thank
you, suh. I do what I can.”
I have often reflected on this scene
in that much better than average movie. And I think there’s more than a secular
principal at work here. I believe a spiritual concept shines through.
For I think, (and scripture infers) that
before our Creator breathed the worlds into place, He was thinking of you, and
me. Not as some vast, earthly hoard, mind you, but He was thinking of each one
of us by name, and He already had some pretty magnificent plans laid out for
every one of us.
“Before I ever took my first breath,
You (meaning God) planned every day of my life.” (Psalms 139:16) What an
inestimably powerful statement!
And if our Lord thought of us before
the beginning, and if He already had some pretty awesome plans in store for us,
Bagger’s statement can’t help but be true.
THE SHOT MUST CHOOSE YOU
There exists, then, one best, most
authentic, singular shot for each of us at any given time, in any given
circumstance, one best course of action, one best option, that ought to drive
our choices and decisions.
Now I’m not referring to whether you
shop at Walmart or K-Mart, or whether you fish in a nearby pond, or not so
nearby lake. No, “The Shot Must Choose You” is all about those crucial, “I
simply must get it right” kinda decisions that come to all of us, such as the
selection of a job, a ministry, or a best friend.
When Junah declared Bagger to be a
great caddy, he had it just about right. But Bagger proved to be more than a
great caddy. For he had been sent to serve as a great mentor figure to this
insecure young man, but a man with the potential for greatness permeating his
small frame.
Indeed, the shot must choose us. It
must choose you. And it must choose me.
For ultimately, this is the only way in which we will ever truly fulfill
God’s plans for us on the earth.
Indeed, I believe the shot must choose
us, and it is paramount that we get it right. Our very destiny is at stake. I
believe it would be pleasing to God that every one of His children pray the
following simple prayer, and pray it on a daily basis.
“Oh Father, great Ruler of the
universe. You Who knew me before I was formed or ever took my first breath,…
let the shot choose me.”
Afterward
As long as any of us live and move and
breathe, there will be people who are determined that they know more about what’s
good for us, than we know for ourselves. (And from time to time, they are
occasionally right).
While in the course of making a good decision,
there is a place for a trusted mentor or counselor, ultimately, we have to find
our own way.
In Philippians 2:12 we read,
“Working out your own salvation with
fear and trembling.”
Well, my friends, this verse applies
to more than just the condition of our soul, but the course of our entire lives
on this planet. We must allow “the shot to choose us.”
Granted, sometimes doing so is mixed
with a fair bit of trial and error, but as a result of my own experiences, I am
convinced that we serve a God who is more than able to lead His people in a
manner which will (1) gratify our interests and talents, (2) impact our fellow
human beings, and which will, most importantly, (3) please our Creator.
(Mc)Donald's Daily Diary. Vol. 80. By William McDonald, PhD. Copyright pending
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