{"id":571,"date":"2007-02-23T05:54:03","date_gmt":"2007-02-23T11:54:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ocularfusion.net\/?p=571"},"modified":"2022-01-02T07:38:43","modified_gmt":"2022-01-02T12:38:43","slug":"hes-bama-bound","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ocularfusion.net\/?p=571","title":{"rendered":"He’s Bama Bound"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"davids-senior-formal.jpg\"<\/a>Big Mama has called her native son and Number One has answered–he’s Bama bound.<\/p>\n

Number One had literally been losing sleep over the Big Decision, so torn was he between choosing The University of Alabama<\/a> and his parents’ alma mater (Hail!) Harding University.<\/a> I had lunch with him a couple of weeks ago to see how things were going and to let him explain to me his reasoning. At the end of that conversation, I was impressed. Number One understood full well what he would be gaining and losing with either choice, and he was able to list off the pros and cons of each with ease. He felt that he was at an intellectual dead heat, with each appearing equal when all the credits and debits were added together.<\/p>\n

I then asked him a couple of questions that will probably echo for some time to come: Where’s your heart, Number One? Which one of these makes your pulse beat a little faster?<\/p>\n

I explained to him that sometimes we can only reason things out so far, that there are times when we must listen to our passion and “go with the gut” in order to break the knots that our minds sometimes tie together. As I asked those questions, I knew deep down what his answer would be. I was torn, but it seemed that he needed my blessing to move forward.<\/p>\n

Number One was homeschooled through 8th grade, but he chose to go to a large, public high school for the academic challenge and to “test his wings.” He’s carved a good path there and enjoyed the diversity in thought, opinion and lifestyle among his peers. He’s gained friends and earned the respect of many across the high school pecking order–from geeks and Goths to gunners and jocks. He’s done it by not trashing people behind their backs and by cutting people some slack when others didn’t. He’s spent his time living out the Gospel in sometimes difficult circumstances, not simply talking about it and saying all the “right things” or beating people about the head with it.<\/p>\n

I think after all that, it was hard for him to envision himself going to a smaller private school and one that was more isolated geographically and somewhat more parochial in practice and thought. I think he envisioned himself enjoying the challenge and diversity of a large state university, studying and playing hard, seeking and hopefully finding balance and a path for his future. And yes, I suppose the image of him being a part of history by cheering in the student section as Nick Saban takes the field for the first time with the Tide probably crossed his mind too!<\/p>\n

Also, Bama wanted him badly, and they weren’t afraid to show it. Since he was a National Merit Finalist, they offered Number One a very nice scholarship and never missed an opportunity to write or call these last few months to remind him of all the advantages that they could offer. He received the kind of personalized attention reserved for many athletes, and the constant wooing played a major role in sealing the deal.<\/p>\n

When all was said and done, he felt that choosing Bama would minimize the “what ifs?” and regrets that invariably accompany any Big Decision. At the end of the day, he went with his heart.<\/p>\n

But still it was very tough saying “no” to Harding and choosing not to meet up once again with the professors and good friends that he made at last summer’s Honors Symposium. He went into that experience with some negative impressions about Christian education, but he returned with a more open mind and a greater appreciation for what was offered there. I think it’s fair to say that he’ll have a great deal of love for Harding for the rest of his life, indeed, even a Harding-shaped hole in his heart.<\/p>\n

But I’ve noticed he’s sleeping a little better these days. His shoulders are more relaxed. He smiles more. He laughs with greater ease. He is at peace–and so are we. All of us have experienced that sense of traveling down new and exciting trails, of being borne along by the ineffable paradox and mysterious intersection of God’s sovereignty and our own free will.<\/p>\n

Number One, we’re proud of you and the maturity that you’ve shown during this year. Your brothers are proud of you too, and here’s a dirty little secret: when they think you’re not listening, they brag about you to their friends (and they watch your back too). Your Mom and I have been praying for you, and we’ll continue to do so until our knees are bloodied and raw. We know you’re going to find your own way, but we figure that you’ll still need our help every now and then.<\/p>\n

You know where to find us. We’ll even leave the light on for you.<\/p>\n

And, needless to say:<\/p>\n

Roll Tide, Roll.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Big Mama has called her native son and Number One has answered–he’s Bama bound. Number One had literally been losing sleep over the Big Decision, so torn was he between choosing The University of Alabama and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[66,76,48,32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-571","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-alabama-crimson-tide-football","category-faith","category-family","category-harding-university"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ocularfusion.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ocularfusion.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ocularfusion.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ocularfusion.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ocularfusion.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=571"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ocularfusion.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9774,"href":"https:\/\/www.ocularfusion.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571\/revisions\/9774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ocularfusion.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=571"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ocularfusion.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=571"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ocularfusion.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=571"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}