It's not you, it's me

It's not you, it's me, is the sort of line one hears in rom-com movies when the hapless protagonist (or antagonist?) is trying to peaceably break up with the girl. But that's not my line of thought for today I'm afraid - yes, it's more football! Those who read this probably know I'm a big Liverpool fan. After last year's historic league championship win, the team is going through a rough patch with a scarcely believable series of injuries, as almost the entire defensive lineup has been wiped out with long term injuries.

The manager Jurgen Klopp has been forced to pick 4th or 5th choice players. Nathaniel Phillips had been farmed out on loan to a second division club in Germany, and but for the Covid-19 impaired finances of the football industry, would probably have been sold off. Rhys Williams is a 19-year old, and had been farmed out to a 5th division club in England. Yes, FIFTH. 

Yet in his league debut as stand-in for his injured colleagues, Nathaniel Phillips was the Man of the Match. As for Rhys Williams? He had to stand-in for Nathaniel Phillips (who the club hadn't even registered as a player!) in the elite Champions League against the top teams in Europe. Result? A clean sheet and 5-0 win for Liverpool.

Think about that - it surely can't be that players who were playing several divisions down less than a year ago, can suddenly become among the best players in the top division! It reminded me of how I used to feel about Liverpool's deadly rivals Manchester United under their legendary manager Alex Ferguson. They had world class players of course. But he'd also bring on players from nowhere, who would then look like worldbeaters on the pitch. The likes of Quinton Fortune. Ronny Johnsen. Even Nicky Butt. And when they left Manchester United for other clubs, you realised, they weren't that good after all. It was Alex Ferguson who was making them look good.

So, no disrespect to Nathaniel Phillips or Rhys Williams - maybe in time, they really will become world beaters. But for now, it's not them. It's Jurgen Klopp working through them. All they have to do is be teachable.

I was reminded of a similar lesson by one of my friends at cell group yesterday. Imagine a glass of clear water. That's us - what we were made for by God. But along the way, we get mixed up with other things. Some things look like water, but are not - like sour vinegar. Other things muddy our purpose, like sand or gravel. Yet other things are dark, like our harboured anger and secret sins. Once all these get mixed up with us, we can't purify ourselves.

But there is a solution. Someone has to pour new clear water into the glass. If you pour it only slowly and halfheartedly, the water does clear up a little, but not quite. But if you pour it vigorously and without reservation, it will displace the cloudy contents of what used to be our messed up lives, and it'll be clear again.

The point is that we can't fix our own lives. God has to do it from the outside. Not only that, we have to allow God to pour out His Spirit into our lives *vigorously*, and not merely half-heartedly. Otherwise the mud will stubbornly remain in the glass. What Jurgen Klopp is doing for the Liverpool 3rd and 4th choice players, we have to let God do in our lives. The even better news is that, as good of a manager as Jurgen Klopp is, God is infinitely better!

You know, we *can* try to do it on our own. With effort, some of us can gain the world - all is mine! Some of us will beat great challenges, whether health or work or otherwise - I can overcome! Some others seek latitude to do what we want with our lives, with creative endeavours or passionate hedonism - I am free! And all of us can choose to live out our lives we want, from start to end - I ran the race!

But there's a lovely song "Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me" that illustrates the difference in trying to make it on our own, versus journeying with God. It says in each refrain:

I can sing: all is mine... Yet not I but through Christ in me

I shall overcome... Yet not I but through Christ in me

I can sing: I am free... Yet not I but through Christ in me

The race is complete... Yet not I but through Christ in me

There's a difference between winning, overcoming, being free, and finishing the race on our own, and doing all that, but with God. The latter leads to a deep and purposeful joy, and a peace that is certain and endures. 

Thank You Lord for reminding me - it's not you, it's Me. I can sing: all is mine, I shall overcome, I am free, I can run the race - yet not I, but through Christ in me!


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