Makeover Agent
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. 13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
Psalms 51:10-13 (KJV)
My son recently participated in a football league run by an ex-pro football player. Many teams make up the league, which covers a very large part of Austin and the surrounding area, but the team Hunter got to play on was actually coached for a while by the owner. Though he has a great deal of accomplishments and renown, he is very friendly, and on a few occasions I got to talk with him at some length about his experiences in life as an athlete and businessman. He expressed a great deal of appreciation for the opportunity that was his, but also everything that had been a part of making a success from that opportunity with regard to hard work, diligence, attitude, and perseverance. You could definitely tell that there was a high level of satisfaction and fulfillment with his self-perception as a result of his achievements. What was particularly impressive, though, was the degree to which this self –confidence motivated him in doing much more that just hanging up pictures and feeling proud of his past. He was taking all he had learned about developing himself and using it to provide opportunity to hundreds of other young men. The transformation he had experienced through his own diligence is something he is now committed to seeing take place in those he would mentor. His life will continue to have purpose and fulfillment because of the degree to which his own life has been changed.
I love this passage from Psalms that so wonderfully projects the cleaned, righteous, fellowshipping, joyful, and free image that David so greatly desired for himself. For most of his childhood this was probably what he saw when he looked inside, someone who’s heart was in faithful pursuit of His God. Though a diversion marred this image for a season, there was an understanding in David that a return to that unblemished state was yet possible. It’s interesting, though, that the motivation for experiencing his own cleansing included in large part the desire to open his own mouth and impart to others the great opportunity he had experienced. For those, it seems, who experience the greatness for which they were created, there is a desire to share it, to become a ‘makeover agent’ themselves.