Deck Cheatham: A trap of my own making

Published 9:41 pm Monday, May 22, 2017

“He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul” (Psalm 23:2,3a).

We cannot be certain what motivates mankind’s willfulness. Our fears, our distrust, our temptations abound, compelling us to act toward mystical, mythical destinations.

My motivation was a desire to achieve a success greater than my father. The father-son relationship parallels the shepherd-sheep relationship. Sheep exhibit their own penchant for fear and distrust and temptation. Sons exhibit the same inclination. My father wanted the best for me. I resisted his guidance as I expressed a desire to prove my worth.

Having shown a modicum of talent and heightened interest, I chose a game played on manicured, verdant pastures for this history to replay. Driven by a desire to prove, I moved forward toward a dream promising nothing but the empty well from which pride wishes us all to drink. Like many, I was blinded by the belief I was right and my dream was the answer. I chose this path unaware it had been trampled before.

The Shepherd is steadfast. He watches. He waits. He leads. He allows. He shears. On this path, I marched headstrong unencumbered by God’s steady and persistent voice whispering in my soul. I knew this path ended. The melancholy at the end should not have surprised me. This path is empty.

The good shepherd is steadfast for a reason. Sheep tend to cast themselves. A cast sheep is one turned on its back and cannot restore itself. For a sheep, this is a dire predicament. Unattended by a good shepherd, a cast sheep can die.

We have a penchant for predicament. We cast ourselves upon the unknown believing in our rectitude. Perhaps it is willfulness or nescience. Perhaps it is both. Either way, by intent or default, it is our own hand weaving our quandaries.

Two stanzas from Samuel Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” are appropriate. The first says, “Water, water, everywhere, and all the boards did shrink; Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink.” We drink from the wrong wells.

The poem continues. “He prayeth best, who loveth best all things both great and small; for the dear God who loveth us, he made and loveth all.” The one cast sheep is loved by God. We walk the path unaware we are each the one cast sheep. The still waters run. God awakens our soul and restores it.

I have spent a life playing a game on green pastures, taking walks beside hazardous waters and thinking the pursuit would restore my soul. I spent years beginning the day filled with “if-thens” seeking comfort in my own thinking. I thought … but isn’t this every man’s trap?

I lay down in God’s green pastures. I quench my thirst from the still waters. He restores my soul. Now, God guides me in the path of righteousness for his name’s sake.

“Those who have ears to hear, let them hear” (Matthew 11:15).

Deck Cheatham has been a golf professional for more than 40 years. He lives with his family in Dalton. Write to him at pgadeacon@gmail.com.