Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. – James 4:10
I have used the golf scramble analogy before, usually to talk about the value of community and how we all have a part to play in making something work. Typically its when we all hit less than perfect shots, but one of them is at least playable; then we all build from there and – working together – we get the job done.
But this time I have a new twist on the analogy. What if the fourth guy on the team is Jesus? Stay with me on this! It’s not so much of a stretch as it sounds right now! (Also, I don’t intend to embarrass the fourth guy on our team yesterday…)
Okay, so first I’ll tell you what happened. Then I’ll try to make my point.
A) What happened:
So I put together a team to represent the very generous Lonnie & Carol Poole Family Foundation in the TLC Golf Classic, a tournament designed to raise over $100,000 for TLC’s residential services, day program, respite care, early childhood intervention, community partnerships, therapy and education services.
My friend Chauncey came with me from Tarboro, then Rick Mayo from Wake Forest. “The Fourth Guy,” was John Walston, who joined us as a new friend.
Here’s where the twist comes in, making this an entirely different story. John played some scintillating golf. He is a genuinely nice guy, humble, down to earth and very accessible, but the level he plays at is in another league compared to the rest of us.
But it gets more interesting. Instead of carrying us, he lifted us. Do you see the difference? We did not need to use his ball all the time because he was not only really good he was an encourager too. Our game became elevated and we all played a little above ourselves. Consequently the team scored 14 birdies, one eagle and three pars for a very satisfying 56.
B) My point:
This is why I wrote “what if the fourth guy is Jesus?” Granted, sometimes Jesus does carry us, but most of the time what happens when we invite Jesus into our lives is he lifts us instead.
Jesus lifts me up as a husband; the way I relate to my children and grandchildren; my approach to work; conversations with friends; the way I respond to everyday activities.
Jesus lifts me up when I am enjoying a walk, interacting with a neighbor, dealing with a difficult or indifferent cashier at the store, preparing to teach, talking about politics or some cultural issue. Jesus lifts me up.
This is the kind of relationship I need as a man. I need Jesus to ground me, to encourage me, to pull for me, to believe in me, to hold me to account.
Jesus lifts me up – DEREK
