Thought for the week: We must value the gifts that God Has given us
It’s just a fortnight since 'Scottie' Scheffler won the Open golf title at Portrush with some astounding and consistent play.
His wonderful win wasn’t the only thing that hit the headlines, for earlier in the week, as a Christian, he had opened his heart in a press conference to the amazement of almost everyone who listened to him.
'Scottie' said this: This is not a fulfilling life. It’s fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it’s not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart. There’s a lot of people that make it to what they thought was going to fulfil them in life, and you get there, you get to No 1 in the world, and they’re like what’s the point? What is the point? Why do I want to win this tournament so bad? That’s something I wrestle with on a daily basis.”
In the past few years, Scheffler has repeatedly said that his deep fulfilment comes from his clear faith in Jesus Christ, his friends and his family.
In so doing, he put his finger on one of the besetting sins of our modern society. That is the drive to repeat one of the oldest expressions of human arrogance which goes back to the earliest chapters in the Bible - the people who built the Tower of Babel saying - "Let us make a name for ourselves" (Genesis 11.4)
It is hard to overstate the time and energy that is put in nowadays to doing just that. The posts on Instagram or TikTok; the seeking of status by the things we acquire; the houses we live in; or the importance of being seen with or by ‘people of influence’. As the book of Ecclesiastes (chapter 1.2) puts it ‘Vanity, vanity; all is vanity’, when God is left out of our thinking and our lives.
Though with that said, it is also important to value the gifts that God has given people, and to appreciate anyone and everyone who contributes to our well-being and joy. All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above; they are not our own creation, but the people and their gifts must not be taken for granted.
As 'Scottie' Scheffler has made clear, the standing and status given in Christ far surpasses anything we can be given here on earth. To have the eternal God in heaven give us names such as children of light, and heirs of God, alongside being called His special possession is privilege beyond measure.
A teenager, about to go to university to study medicine, said to me last week he was proud to be known as a follower of Christ. Like Scheffler, he has found his true and lasting identity that is the bedrock for everyday life. Personally, I feel so blessed not to have to make a name for myself in order to live on earth or look to heaven. Is that where you are too?