John Barnes was a footballer.
To say he was a very good footballer would be an understatement. At his peak, he would rightly be acclaimed as one of the best in the world in his position. He delighted fans with an array of skills and a display of technique that captured the interest of those who loved the beautiful game. He came to prominence among fans especially in England, for a goal he scored very early in his career as he played for England in the Maracana Stadium, one of the most famous football stadiums and home to the Brazilian national team. Brazil, known for its dazzling collection of exciting footballers, witnessed a goal from Barnes setting off to take on and pass a number of opposing defenders before slotting the ball in the net.
It’s not the only goal that Barnes scored and it’s probably not his best, but it’s one of the most memorable for the location, the opposition and what it said about this player to the minds of those who viewed it. If you were to ask Barnes himself about it, though, his only memory of the action is when he received the pass before going on the run and then being in a position where he just had to beat the goalkeeper. The rest is a blur to him. His explanation is that what he did was on instinct. In contrast, he has a good memory of the free kicks he scored because these were occasions when he had the goal in mind and had an idea of what he would do to score the goal and all he had to do was execute the plan. He remembers the goal because he remembered the planning and the execution as well as the outcome.
As a flair player known for dribbling, whenever he set out on a dribble, it was off the cuff and with the desire to gain his team a better attacking position. If the outcome of that was a goal, that was all the better, but it’s not as though the idea in setting on the dribble was to score. Whereas when given a free kick in a promising position, there’s enough time to size up what the intended outcome is and how that can be achieved, as well as applying the effort and technique required to pull it off.
There is plenty of time and space in life to go about dribbling. Starting on something in the hope it can get you in a better position and if it turns out to achieve a goal you had in mind, that’s even better. You go for a walk to clear your head and you come across a friend or have an inspired moment and return from the walk motivated to achieve your goals in life. You can go about your day to day work and complete an activity or have a conversation that likewise stirs you to do what is necessary to achieve. It’s not necessarily what you set out to do at the start and it wasn’t on purpose to get what you got, but it has happened and so you might as well make the most of it.
What I love in life, is being part of those free kick moments in life. You have a set goal in life. You have an idea of how it can be accomplished. The set-up is just right for you. You trust to have the necessary technique to bring it to fruition. Then you apply all of that together and execute the plan and get the desired results. In some case you get even more than that because of the diligence it takes to be prepared. The skill and technique referred to here, though, is not about thepower of self-determination and the sense in which I can make it on my own. This approach is marked by the dependence on God. Every skill and ability to go through the process and reach the desired goal comes from Him. employing those gifts in a way pleasing to Him and in line with His will results in outcomes even greater than goals scored by John Barnes.
The point is to be sensitive to how God operates and how He leads to e grateful for those occasional dribbles experienced in life, as well as pay attention to when He is shaping and crafting something over more time and less spontaneity. Stages in the journey give us an opportunity to refresh the goal we have in mind both in the overall journey and each phase of it. When the greater goal is to be like the Son who rescued us from a life careening into the ultimate own goals, it’s good to be reminded of who He is, what He has done and what He does at the moment. Spend some time considering that and seeing how that works itself out in the dribbles and free kicks life presents.
Father God, my desire is to do and be everything pleasing to you. Thank you for taking me into your Kingdom of light by your Son. Thank you for giving the Holy Spirit to direct and reveal, teach and shape me to reach the goals you place before me. Help me and help us, Father, to be aware of how you want us to look back and remember your goodness in reaching those goals of yesterday. Help us to use that to put our trust in you for the goals ahead. As we look to your leading in the journey.
(Photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels)
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
Life With CD 