Bagging It
Stories
Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit
Series IV Cycle C
Bones Mackay thinks he has a cool job. All he has to do is carry a 60-pound bag for about three and a half miles four days a week.
And for that he makes a very cool $400,000 a year.
Where do I sign up?
Of course, his employer is walking every step of the way with him -- not carrying anything, by the way. And he expects Bones to talk to him, keep him company, give him advice, polish his shoes, clean his equipment, and stay out of the way.
Bones is a professional golf tour caddie, and he works for golfer Phil Mickelson, the number 2 player in the world behind Tiger Woods. He gets a standard salary which is generally $800 or more a week, plus a percentage of the winnings. Typically, a caddie gets ten percent of a first place finish, seven percent for a top ten finish, and five percent for anything else.
Bones, an avid golfer himself and student of the game, is employee, friend, partner, and burden-bearer. He knows Mickelson's game. He knows how the man thinks. He knows what he's feeling and what he needs. He is perfect for Mickelson and together they have done very well since partnering up in 1992. Golfers like Mickelson and Woods are quick to credit their caddies for a measure of their own success. Since Woods dismissed an earlier caddie (some think it was because the caddie was hogging the limelight, forgetting his role), Woods has gone on to win over twenty tournaments and six majors.
Of course, Bones can't do it all. He can't make the shot. He doesn't take credit for Mickelson's successes or responsibility for his failures. He doesn't tell Mickelson how to play the game. He doesn't try to share the limelight. He understands his role. He is a caddie. He carries golf clubs. He bears someone else's burden. He doesn't "bag it," or give up, or get discouraged. He does what caddies are supposed to do: he carries bags.
And he gets paid handsomely for it. Not at all like the Christian who walks beside a friend every day, offering encouragement and support. Not like the child of God who weeps with those who weep and laughs with those who laugh. Not like the one who stays by the side of a sister or brother in crisis and prays, and writes, and calls, and listens.
Not at all like that. Such people are paid in a currency much more valuable than dollars. They "fulfill the law of Christ." Their wages are out of this world.
And for that he makes a very cool $400,000 a year.
Where do I sign up?
Of course, his employer is walking every step of the way with him -- not carrying anything, by the way. And he expects Bones to talk to him, keep him company, give him advice, polish his shoes, clean his equipment, and stay out of the way.
Bones is a professional golf tour caddie, and he works for golfer Phil Mickelson, the number 2 player in the world behind Tiger Woods. He gets a standard salary which is generally $800 or more a week, plus a percentage of the winnings. Typically, a caddie gets ten percent of a first place finish, seven percent for a top ten finish, and five percent for anything else.
Bones, an avid golfer himself and student of the game, is employee, friend, partner, and burden-bearer. He knows Mickelson's game. He knows how the man thinks. He knows what he's feeling and what he needs. He is perfect for Mickelson and together they have done very well since partnering up in 1992. Golfers like Mickelson and Woods are quick to credit their caddies for a measure of their own success. Since Woods dismissed an earlier caddie (some think it was because the caddie was hogging the limelight, forgetting his role), Woods has gone on to win over twenty tournaments and six majors.
Of course, Bones can't do it all. He can't make the shot. He doesn't take credit for Mickelson's successes or responsibility for his failures. He doesn't tell Mickelson how to play the game. He doesn't try to share the limelight. He understands his role. He is a caddie. He carries golf clubs. He bears someone else's burden. He doesn't "bag it," or give up, or get discouraged. He does what caddies are supposed to do: he carries bags.
And he gets paid handsomely for it. Not at all like the Christian who walks beside a friend every day, offering encouragement and support. Not like the child of God who weeps with those who weep and laughs with those who laugh. Not like the one who stays by the side of a sister or brother in crisis and prays, and writes, and calls, and listens.
Not at all like that. Such people are paid in a currency much more valuable than dollars. They "fulfill the law of Christ." Their wages are out of this world.
