Matthew 13:5-6
5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
A lost election, strained finances, and marital issues; troubled a young aspirational politician. Had he bit more than he could chew? Whatever the reason was for the resounding defeat, what was left in its wake was an uncertain future for his young family. You can only imagine the shock on his wife’s face a few years later when he tells her he is going to go for a higher seat in the upcoming elections. They hadn’t recouped their finances used up in the last campaigns, hadn’t solved the areas that caused friction in their marriage but here he goes again with his political ambitions!
It is understandable when she recruited some of their closest friends to talk him out of this foolishness. She would later give in, but with a disclaimer, “This is it, Barack,” Michelle said. “One last time. But don’t expect me to do any campaigning. In fact, you shouldn’t even count on my vote.”
Barack Obama would win that election and was the only African American in the U.S senate at the time. This solicited ridiculous attention from the media and the public. He was definitely a star. He would later speak at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. If we could describe Obama’s rise as a snowball that speech was the moment that snowball grew big enough to start an avalanche roaring and covering everything in its way.
Obama didn’t want his story to be that of a supernova, which is when a star shines brightest on its last hurrah; a death so spectacular. So he studied Hillary Clinton who had joined the senate four years earlier surrounded in fanfare. As he described it he wanted to be a workhorse, not a show horse.
Jesus Christ understood that we all need a strong foundation. And who better to speak on foundation than the Cornerstone of Faith? He spoke about foundation by giving the example of a seed that falls on rocky ground. The soil is shallow so the plant springs up quickly. The vigour of the plant is short-lived. It’s soon scorched by the sun and withers because it had no roots.
He was speaking to the hearts of men about the hearts of men. He knew if the good news He was spreading didn’t take root in their hearts, it would easily wither. Last week I wrote about sharing what we know and our resources with others. It is equally important that we put into practice what we’ve absorbed so that it won’t wither away when we are faced with challenges; or when we are praised. The joy that comes with the praise may blind us and we might forget what brought us to where we are in the first place.
We were created in God’s image, and just as God enjoys when He receives praise from His people, so do we enjoy receiving praise when we achieve something. If you let that innate desire to be praised intoxicate you, you will be distracted from your goal. Is your goal to be a workhorse or a show horse?
After 90 minutes of football and extra time; what was left was a penalty shootout to decide the match. One after the other, players would place the ball on the white spot, decide where they would aim their shot, and go for it. It was tense. I was a neutral enjoying the match on my couch but could feel the tension. I could only imagine the weight of expectations on the players’ shoulders, it was maddening. Three players from the Three Lions missed their penalties, England lost the match.
What happened after the loss is what caught my attention. The three England players, Rashford, Sancho, and Saka received attacks and support almost in equal measure. Rashford had this to say, “I’ve felt no prouder moment than wearing those three lions on my chest and seeing my family cheer me on in a crowd of 10s of thousands….The community that always wrapped their arms around me continue to hold me up.”
So what makes you grounded? Is it the support from your family, your community, is it lessons you’ve learned in failure, is it the word of God or is it all of these combined? It is important that we have a strong foundation that helps us avoid the pitfall of sadness or the intoxication with praise. I hope your goal is to work diligently and establish your roots and not to be a show horse.
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