At the beginning of the year, just before my first quiz practice, I took up a vow, the Nazarite vow to be exact. I couldn't cut my hair, eat or drink anything with grapes or fermented, or go near anything dead. Sounds simple, right? Well, it became annoying when my hair became unruly and when I wanted to drink grape juice. Why did I do this? Was it mere superstition? No. I wanted to show how very dedicated I was to God and to leaning His word. This time has been a time of spiritual growth, as I have seen the connection between my vow and the blessing of my quiz outs. I'll admit that it was a bit shaked during my fall from perfect, and wondering if I broke my vow in any way. Yet I stayed strong, kept going, and rebounded. All this time, I stuck to my faith and trusted God for everything. I hope you have watched me as i have grown this way.
But now after 8 weeks of a season and an ACC Tournament, things are changing. I'm going out with a dramatic fashion. And this is how...
Beginning
2 months 1 day
End (don't worry, it's Welches Grape Juice!)
Did I give up my Nazarite vow? No, this was scheduled from the beginning. After 2 months and 16 days, the vow was complete. I had fulfilled my time. Actually, I fulfilled it, then some. The vow was originally until the end of the season. I renewed it for the ACC Tournament, praying to make the playoffs again. So why not keep it for the Invitational? I want to draw your attention to another Judge. This one is Samson. Samson was a Nazarite. We really don't know him for this. We know him for his strength. Now if you ask any little kid why Samson was strong, most will say, "Because his hair was long." It is understandable where kids get this idea: all they can remember is Samson was strong and had long hair, so they must be correlated somehow. But any adult, from Bible Scholar to church layman, should know that it was the vow Samson was under that gave him his strength. It wasn't until Samson broke all aspects of the vow that he lost his strength. We all know how the story ends: Samson literally brings down the house of the false god, with the leaders of the Philistines and many other people. Obviously, the Lord gave Samson his strength, but where did it come from? It's not the vow. I think Samson's regained strength came from the faith that God would listen to his prayer and answer according to God's Will. To sum it up all in one word, it was faith. Faith is why Samson's strength came back. Faith is why Samson was able to do the Lord's work one last time.
So by faith I shaved my head. Like I said, I wanted to show that my vow was not a superstitous way to ensure a good year in quizzing. Instead, my good performance was God being faithful to my dedication to His Word. Therefore, with one big tournament left, my final performance, I shaved my head and drank grape juice, having faith in the Lord that nothing will change, that I will still be blessed in my quizzing. I was going into the Ohio Tournament by faith. How did that turn out.?You'll just have to wait and see....
