Hanging out with some friends tonight and we watched a great movie called The Legend of Bagger Vance. It is a movie based around a golf game, but it is so much more than a sports movie. If you are not familiar with golf, there are players and there are caddies. The players are the people we are most familiar with, and caddies are the people that carry their clubs.
From a non-golfer’s perspective, the caddy is just a servant or helper along the way. One to carry the golf clubs while the player walks around, swings the club and makes all the money. In reality the caddy is a very integral part of a successful golfer. The caddy knows the courses very well, is educated in club selection and watches the player swing, sees the areas working well at the moment and can provide crucial advice on what club to swing.
Of course the final decision always comes down to the player, on what club to actually use. No matter how knowledgeable a caddy may be, the player has the ability to either take the advice, or go with their own decision. Then of course after the shot the player always has to face the consequences of his or her decision. If they went with their own instinct and it worked out well, they are more prone to do things on their own. If it did not end well, they can either admit they were wrong and or make excuse for what went wrong.
This is such a realization for me as we walk through life with the Holy Spirit as our caddy. (I will refer to the Holy Spirit as my caddy). As I approach different challenges and opportunities in life I have my caddy right along my side. He has experienced my good decisions and my bad ones as well. My caddy knows my behavior, my tendencies and is always there for assistance.
Time and time again, I go about my day grabbing clubs, making shots and just try to get through the round called life. I beam with pride when I make a good shot and get really mad and frustrated when things don’t go the way I expect them. Meanwhile, my caddy is right there alongside me. No condemnation, no chuckling at my stupid decisions, but always willing to listen and guide me, if I am willing to humble myself.
Simple conversations with my caddy about “what do you think?”, “I was thinking this shot is going to do…”, “I was thinking of taking the shot with this club, then…”. The caddy listens to all the ideas I have, some times encouraging me with decisions and other times giving subtle hints or hard suggestions.
The caddy does not give up on me when I am arrogant and think I know what I am doing, then prove I don’t. That caddy is always there for me, no matter how many times I ignore him. No matter how many times I embarrass him. The harmony between a successful golfer and his caddy are priceless. They ebb and flow together is a fluid motion that does not have contention, turmoil or anxiety. They work together for the some goal, to make the best score possible.
The big question laid out here is obvious, what does it hurt to takes some advice and bounce our ideas off of our caddy? He is right there with us. He knows us better than anybody else. Do we take the time to learn from him? He even knows when we can exploit our talents when we are disappointed in ourselves and discouraged.
Don’t let your own pride hinder your game. Your personal caddy, the Holy Spirit, is right there along your side, waiting to ebb and flow with you. He has no better interest than to have you shine and do well. He understands our personal desires, our frustrations and even is very aware of the unfair, bad luck that comes our way. He is not giving up on you, he has your best interest in mind and we can learn so much from him.
As you go about your day, pause from time to time and consult with your caddy, he is there for you. See how it works, you might be pleasantly surprised.