Each of us is guilty. We all have done it, whether transparency reigns or not. History has proven we all have our ugly moments. We all have clamored for one to lead us... to save us... to enable our eternal hope.
See Cleveland.
Oakland.
Even San Francisco.
Every year when the snow thaws and April arrives, there is a ground swelling of support for a youthful man to finally direct us to greatness. Ah, the NFL Draft. Perhaps finally a new, franchise quarterback can lead us to the end zone! (Let the record show, in order to be a successful savior, he will need to lead you there more than once. Again, see Cleveland, Oakland, and San Francisco.)
Wait. To be fair we must acknowledge that Atlanta’s Matt Ryan actually did seemingly save the day in 2008. But after years of inhaling much of the Vick inequities, Ryan was a refreshing rookie who led his Falcons to the promised playoffs - if not the land.
The historical reality is that people clamor for a king.
The Romans clamored for the great Cincinnatus. The Sicilians clamored for “the General,” Giuseppe Garibaldi. And lest you are on the edge of your seats, ready to pounce, thinking I may again address the perceived Obama love affair, we should acknowledge that many of us were just as guilty with the election of President Bush. “Now that a conservative Christian is in the White House... now we can finally save America!”
In approximately 1050 B.C., the ground swelling rose to its maximum voice. The people had spiritual leaders, men and women to guide them, helping them see the world rightly and give God credit for his creation, but they didn’t have a “king.” “Give us a king to rule us!” the people chanted. If only we had a king, those hopes would ring true. They were told that a king could not save them. A king could not do what only God can do. We should never put more faith in a man than in the one who created man. But the people ignored wisdom. They continued to mandate, “We want a king so we can be like everyone else!” Adhering to the wants of the people as opposed to the wisdom of one greater, the leading prophet of the land surrendered to their wishes. Yet he eerily added, “The day will come when you will cry in desperation because of this king you so much want for yourselves. But don't expect God to answer.” Because their trust was displaced, their prayers were discarded.
No one man (or woman, Hillary and Sarah) can save America. No conservative Christian. No liberal, independent, franchise quarterback, or even global warming aficionado. No man can do what only God can do. So why, as a people, do we continue to look for love in all the wrong places? What makes us clamor for a king?
Ok, it’s confession time. Among other loyalties, I am a Bengals’ fan. Can’t wait to see who we draft.
AR
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1 comment:
Your sports/political parallels are fascinating. Allow me to add an equivalent analogy from today’s slant on the news. Understand I am very supportive of our president’s efforts to “stimulate” the economy, especially since he promises to return my monthly pension checks to their former levels. I’ve watched this man develop from humble beginnings as a community organizer worshiping in a church common to my own. Then greater experiences and successes came to him regularly. It was a thrill to see history in the making. But, as we sometimes say in sports, victories can run the danger of evaporating the modesty and the helmet no longer fits when the head size gets too large. It was the feeling I got last night when he was asked a tough question and he got that look of vanishing meekness as he said, “……after all, when I leave here I AM boarding Air Force One!”
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