Proverbs 16 :9
We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it.
Great is a word often over used when it comes to describing sport stars, however in this case, it couldn’t be more applicable.
The man is incredible.
I myself am a huge fan.
He is without question the greatest player playing the game today and arguably one of, if not the best, player of all time.
Let me give you a few clues as to who this superstar is.
This man makes kicking conversions, penalties and drop goals look easy as his record of over 1,000 test match points is the second highest of all time and is a total which is continuing to rise fast!
To add to his kicking talents this man has crossed the try line no fewer than 29 times for his country.
O yea.
Hadn’t mentioned that yet.
He plays for the most famous team in world rugby and one of the most famous brands in sport, The New Zealand All Blacks.
Not only that. He plays number 10, fly half (or as the Kiwi’s like to call it, first-five eighths).
He is the most important player for the most talented and famous team in the world.
He is the playmaker.
The general.
He creates the tries.
He navigates his team.
He is a national hero.
He is a All Blacks legend.
He is a model.
The poster boy.
He is Dan Carter.
Dan Carter is the man!
There are honestly too many words to describe him.
He is today’s rugby superstar.
And I myself, have had the huge honour of meeting the man in real life.
Yes, I hear you all gasp with amazement, but I have shaken Dan Carter’s hand.
Let me set the scene.
2 days earlier, in Auckland, NZ, I dragged my family to an Adidas sport shop. As we approached I noticed a massive advertising billboard in the shop window which read “All Blacks signing, Friday!”
I couldn’t believe it. I had the chance to possibily meet some of the most talented rugby players in the world. I had to find out who it could be.
I quickly rushed into the shop and harassed the shop assistant to tell me who could possibly be attending the signing. After all my nagging and begging she finally gave in a told me Dan Carter would be there.
Dan Carter.
The most talented rugby player in the world.
And my favourite player.
O yea!
So.
Fast-forward a couple of days till the signing. I am sitting outside a coffee shop with my mum in Auckland waiting for the signing to begin when all of a sudden I notice him.
Could it really be?
Out of the corner of my eye I noticed two well-built men, having coffee with him.
It was Carter.
He was at the same coffee shop as me!!!
I still remember today what he was wearing, a blue-chequered shirt, jeans and well he looked, well, normal. Just a normal guy having coffee with a few friends out on the street.
Ok maybe he didn’t look completely normal. I quickly instructed my Mum to casually walk past his table to get a closer glimpse of the man himself to see if it was really him and on her return she could not contain herself to tell me what a handsome young man he was. The Dan Carter compliments continued on while we finished our drinks, for the rest of the day, and for the rest of the holiday!
So, we queued up with hundred of excited fans to see the players. Carter accompanied by 3 other All Blacks were ushered out onto a stage to a scene of screaming girls, jaw dropped fans and men who immediately felt quite insignificant standing so close to such man mountains!
I waited in line till it was my turn and slowly stepped forward to meet my hero. He asked me my name and honestly, I was completely starstruck, took me like 3 minutes to answer the guy, but when I quickly remembered it, I blurted it out, collected my signed jersey and wished him all the best for the up coming match.
Unreal.
Will never forget my brief 3 minutes (even though I couldn’t remember my name) with Dan Carter.
If you haven’t heard, the biggest rugby tournament in the world is taking place currently in New Zealand, The Rugby World Cup.
The top teams from around the world compete in a fiercely competitive knock out competition to see really who is the best team in the world.
All the best teams and all the best players are on show, to find out who really is the best.
This is Carter’s time to shine.
The competition is being played in his home country.
The All Blacks are the favourites for the competition.
The whole country is willing the team on to victory.
There is the added pressure of history as the All Blacks have not won the World Cup since 1987.
And there is also the added pressure of trying to boost national morale after the devastating earthquake that hit Christchurch recently.
It is lucky that Dan Carter has big shoulders because he is carrying the pressure of a nation on them.
He is the man to lead to them victory.
And the thing is, he has the talent to do it.
On Saturday night Carter was lining up a routine kick in training.
Place the ball first. Four steps back, three to the left, then run up and slot it through the post.
A motion he has done thousands of times. Hours of practise over and over, the same routine. No problem.
Not this time.
On Carter’s final kick of practise while completing his run up Carter felt a searing pain in his groin and hit the ground in agony.
His World Cup was over.
In an instant it was done.
He was assessed by the top medical doctors to see if there was any possibility he could make a return before the tournament but there was no chance.
The golden boy was out.
New Zealands best player, leader and playmaker was injured and out for the rest of the tournament. They would now have to try and win the tournament without him which many believe will be a far greater task.
The world is denied watching the best player in the world try and win the world cup for his country.
And Carter was denied his moment.
His time.
His name in lights.
His tournament.
His plan, did not go to plan.
It wasn’t meant to happen like this.
The plan was Carter would play a staring role in leading his country to victory in the World Cup. Bringing the prestigious trophy back to a country still recovering from tradgey and to a country desperate for some national pride.
Carter would be the star of the show.
That was the plan.
It wasn’t meant to be like this.
You see, one of the hardest things in life, is when your plan doesn’t match God’s plan.
You have a plan for your life, a direction you think you should be going, goals you should be achieving.
And when you don’t achieve this, it’s hard to understand. To grasp. To get.
Many times I have struggled with this. Many times I find myself asking God “why?”
Because most of the time, my plan, is not God’s plan, and most of the time I am fighting God by trying to follow my plan, instead of his.
One thing I have learnt recently and am trying to put into action is God has a plan for our lives.
It is incredible.
God knows everything you have done, everything you do, and everything you are going to do.
He has it all mapped out.
Story written from beginning to end.
He has a plan for my life.
He has a plan for your life.
And the thing is, his plan is perfect.
God demonstrates it in the Bible.
The whole way through the Bible people have tried to follow their own plan instead of following God’s plan with the ending always being the same, God’s plan was perfect.
Moses didn’t want to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, he ran away, he hid from God’s plan.
But God showed him his plan for Moses life and Moses put it into action and successfully lead the Israelites to freedom.
However God’s most incredible plan was the sending of his son Jesus Christ.
God planned to send us a saviour.
A friend.
The Messiah.
He planned that Jesus would die on cross so that you and I would be free from sin.
He planned that Jesus would come to save us and lead us to a personal relationship with God.
He planned that Jesus would be the only way for us to attain eternal life through him, by him, with him, forever.
You see guys. God’s plan is awesome.
No matter how much you think your plan is perfect, your plan is flawless.
If it isn’t God’s plan, then it is nothing.
Because God’s plan is perfect.
God’s plan is flawless.
And God has a plan for you.
Galatians 1:1
So I greet you with the great words, grace and peace! We know the meaning of those words because Jesus Christ rescued us from this evil world we’re in by offering himself as a sacrifice for our sins. God’splan is that we all experience that rescue. Glory to God forever! Oh, yes!
brilliant blog as usual paddy; learnt something similar (at my yoga class of all places!) yesterday – we cant control the future/ how things are going to turn out but we do have some control over how we react to them and deal with them and thats the important thing especially if we chose to deal with them using God’s strength and our faith in him…