Wasted!

Wasted. It's a word that we use to describe someone who is intoxicated. It's also a word that defines the missed potential of something or someone. Today's verses conclude the story of Samson, the Nazarite we met yesterday. Judges 14 through 16 explain that he retaliated against the Philistines, then later met Delilah--a woman who loved money much more than she loved him and had no reservations about betraying him for cash.

Poor Samson had incredible potential and supernatural strength, and yet his failure to recognize the importance of honoring God in all of his choices and actions (Delilah was another Philistine woman) resulted in a tremendous loss of personal potential and ultimately, also, in his death.

At a time when Samson came face to face with the chance to prove his faithfulness to God rather than continuing an ungodly relationship, he chose the latter--giving in to Delilah's continual nagging about the source of his strength. In this story, the strongest man in the world was too weak to resist Delilah's taunting, teasing and tempting, and it cost him first his eyesight, second his freedom, and finally his life.

It's interesting to me that what got him into trouble in the first place (his vision) was taken from him when the Philistines gouged his eyes out. Next, the freedom he exercised by choosing to do things his way rather than God's was also taken from him when he was bound with bronze chains. The Bible doesn't state that these things were providential punishment, yet it seems a bit ironic that he lost the things he seemed to love so much. God clearly used Samson to accomplish his purpose despite his disobedience, but what might have been the outcome for Samson had he not chosen to rebel?

God's ways truly are not man's ways, but these and other Bible passages serve to remind us that even when God chooses someone and sets them apart to fulfill a specific purpose, he doesn't manipulate the person like a puppet.

Today, as then, God allows us the freedom to choose his way or our own. Samson's story is a powerful reminder that even when someone is called by God and equipped to serve in an incredible way, they can miss "their moment". And that is how I define wasted.

Father, don't let us waste any opportunities or miss any moments because of seeking what our eyes see or our flesh desires. Thank you for offering us your power over temptation and give it to us, please, in our times of need. In Jesus' Name. Amen.