A couple of years ago at a church fellowship dinner [remember those?], one of our guests showed me a photograph that he had of himself standing with one of America’s great singer/song-writers, Bob Seger. The photo had been taken many years ago while my friend was in the Coast Guard, stationed on one of The Great Lakes. I was impressed!
One of Bob Seger’s great songs, “Roll Me Away”, [and yes, I know, I’m giving away my age again – this song came out in 1983!] is about a man who tries to establish a relationship, but it soon becomes apparent that the two people are not on the same page when it comes to what they are looking for, and the relationship ends. In the last words of the song, the man looks up at the stars and makes a vow saying: “Next time we’ll get it right”.
Do you ever feel that those words describe your life? There have been mistakes, there have been failures, there have been disappointments – yet, there is still a dream for a better tomorrow. It’s not a bad idea. It’s actually an expression of hope and optimism as you look ahead to opportunities to try something again, and, perhaps, have better results.
I’m pretty sure I say something along these lines to myself every time I leave the golf course. Sometimes, I say it after almost every swing on the golf course! But, if I’m going to “get it right next time” on the golf course, I am going to have to CHANGE something, or many things, BEFORE the “next time”. And I’m not the only one with this need. “Changing something” for millions of weekend hackers who dream of hitting the ball long and high and straight is what keeps countless golf teachers gainfully employed around the world, distributing lessons and advice, both in person and in countless magazines and online platforms. It is also what keeps engineers at golf equipment manufacturers creating new and advanced technologies so that golf dreamers can actually “buy” a better game. So, at least in a sense, “next time” golfers are major supporters of the world’s economy!
And that points out one of the fallacies with the “next time” philosophy. If the age-old “definition” of insanity – doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results – has been ringing in your head while reading this, you are exactly right. Why should golfers who change nothing ever expect to see improvement? How can they ever “get it right”?
Of course, by now you’ve figured out that I’m not really talking about golf. I’m talking about life, and I’m mainly talking about how we live with one another, both inside and outside The Church. The truth is that a lot of what passes for “good spiritual relationships” among Church members is really not that at all. We talk of superficial things. We rarely have spiritual conversations of significance. We don’t really know one another.
To really be The Church, this needs to change. I’m certainly happy that so many of us are friends. But, we also need to be disciples of Jesus together. Being open to change and growth has got to be wired into our nature and character if we are going to be able to live as The Family of God here on Earth, because chances are good that we aren’t fully living and acting and speaking like Jesus yet. He never missed an opportunity to “see” people, to be fully present with them, and to speak with them on a level that went far beyond the superficial. That should be our goal too.
But perhaps the greatest fallacy behind the philosophy “Next time we’ll get it right” is that it takes for granted that there will always be a “next time”. We know this is not true, and yet we act like it is true. We act as though we are the ones in control of time and circumstances. My mind is, unfortunately, full of images of failure when it comes to this. So many people came and went in my life without me making any real attempt to develop a connection on more than a superficial basis as I mentioned above. I was too concerned about me to give them more than a passing thought. I always figured I could do better tomorrow. Suddenly, tomorrow arrived, and the opportunity was gone. Now I find myself wondering where they are, and what happened to them. I find myself wondering if their experience with the kind of “Jesus” I displayed was enough to end any desire they might have otherwise had to follow Jesus. I find myself praying for forgiveness. I find myself praying that somehow, Jesus found them despite me. I find myself vowing that “next time I’ll get it right”.
Except there will never be a “next time” for me to be a real picture of Jesus to them. That moment is gone There may possibly be opportunities with others in the future. But not with the people from my past. I will never have another chance to “get it right” with them.
I was recently reminded that our time together as The Family of God here on Earth is short. We cannot count on being given repeated opportunities to “get it right” with one another. The writer of Hebrews says “encourage each other daily, while it is still called “today” – Hebrews 3:13. I wonder if we really have any sense of urgency as we go about our daily lives? Do we think things will always continue as they always have, and we’ll have plenty of time to “get it right next time”?
The time to start “getting it right” is now. I know that some of you are already far ahead of me in this quest, and that you have already realized that there is no time for waiting to take our responsibility to display Jesus toward one another seriously, both in how we act, and in how we speak with each other. Thank you for showing me the way. I pray that I am finally ready to get it right.
~Shepherd Ambrose Ramsey
