John my neighbor and I were chatting the other day. He is 93 and enjoys a game of golf with his buddies. He was telling me how his eyesight is failing, and the DMV won’t renew his license so he can no longer drive, let alone see where he is going most of the time. I asked, “John…how do you manage to play golf if your eyesight isn’t as good as it used to be?” His answer was simple yet totally profound.
“Four of us go and play golf, two of us can’t see that well, so we tee up our ball and by guidance from the two younger fellows (78!) they tell me where to hit, and then help me find my shot to play onward, while the other fellow drives the kart…” I chuckled when John said the youngster is their “eyes” at 78 years old!
But then I pondered on the importance of doing “life” together. Can you imagine one day having no one around to help with the simplest of tasks? His analogy of someone driving the kart, another looking out for him during his game and the camaraderie between all four of them out on the golf course, coming together as a great team, allowed me to see the parallel in the same way we serve the Lord.
Sometimes we try and do it alone, and if truth be told, fail miserably. There is something unique that happens when we realize that part of our success in life comes from being knit and bonded together with people who will laugh and cry with us, that will be honest enough to tell you that you have egg on your face, or compliment you with sincerity in such a way that you are built up. In essence I think we all need someone who is willing to be there during both the good and the bad times in life, without passing judgment but bringing correction in love when necessary. It’s a pretty hard balance to maintain at the best of times.
I think this is why the Lord gave us the analogy of His body, the church, you and I, being likened to members of the physical attributes of a person. All the different parts make up the whole, and allow functionality. I don’t mean to gross anyone out, but I remember as a kid, catching lizards, and sometimes in the action and thrill of the chase, the lizard would lose part of its’ tail. Looking back it was quite incredible to see that portion of tail wriggling violently on the ground unattached, while the lizard kept still. Eventually without life sustaining blood flow, the tail dies, and the lizard grows a new one. The similarity again to many of us who try and do this thing called “life” on our own, eventually because we are dismembered from the rest of the body, run out of steam, and life gives up and we crash and burn.
So, John while chatting to me about his game of golf, actually spoke volumes into my life, and made me look a fresh at the importance of team work, the need to exist and function together in what the Lord admonishes us is the perfect bond of peace. This way those in our circle of influence, will be able to attest to the work of the Lord and be ready in and out of season to not only be a source of strength and support but also enjoying the unity of the Lord in the framework of doing life together. The beautiful reward is that when we walk this way, we are all winners, and receive the same reward – His unmerited favor and everlasting love, worth it don’t you think?
