You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth… (Deuteronomy 8:17-18a, NIV)
Forgive me for not being able to place the exact voices behind this conversation, but at some point during all the Masters week television, two commentators were considering the athleticism of today’s tour professionals. One of them alluded to a discussion he had with the tour representative for one of the popular golf shoe companies. The shoe rep had told the commentator this: Not so long ago the average shoe he gave out to tour players was a size 9. Now it is a size 11.
The reference, of course, was part of the evidence that bigger men—and presumably more athletic men—were making their way into the professional game.
This should not surprise us. The combination of sports-as-celebrity-maker and sports-as-millionaire-maker motivates athletic people in general to look closely at whether they can make a living from their athleticism. Until the 1960s and 70s, no one would have given this much of a thought. In the seasonal sports like baseball and football, the athletes played their sports for part of the year and began building their “other career” during the rest of the year. Now, bona fide professional athletes need to “other career.”
This is all intriguing to me as I work with high school athletes with a variety of interest levels and athletic ability. We like to make much in Western culture of the possibility to accomplish whatever you desire “as long as you work hard enough at it.” Reluctant are we to admit that some people may have inherent advantages based on their physical size and unique athletic prowess—not to mention the gutsy suppression of fear that we find in athletes such as divers, gymnasts, and snowboarders. Yet they do. And if these gifted ones will then add hard work to their gifting, their chances of success are great.
Certainly this kind of physical difference and talent disparity was part of what Moses was referring to in Deuteronomy 8, when he discussed the provision of the Lord set against our own perception of self-accomplishment. But he was also layering in the various circumstances God works in our favor—or someone else’s.
For instance, many of us in established careers today would trace the line of success back to our college environment (and perhaps the alumni connections there). Now consider that two young men I worked with as golfers both applied last year to the same two desirable universities (among others). These two young men had virtually identical high school course work and grades. Their outside activities and experiences, their financial needs, their ethnic backgrounds—quite similar. Yet one gained entry to one of these universities while the second was accepted to the other school. Why? There really is no “explanation” in the natural sense.
No, these are the life lines we do not always determine for ourselves; they are drawn up by the sovereign God. Until we are willing to see his present hand in this way, we will not reach the humble understanding of his Lordship that will align us most excellently with him.
—
Jeff Hopper
April 18, 2013
Copyright 2013 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.