My oldest grandson began to play Little League baseball at the age of seven. At this age, baseball skills—throwing, catching, and hitting—are challenging for all boys. And many of the rules and strategies of the game elude them. Nevertheless, my grandson’s team won almost every game and qualified for the semifinal playoff. At this point, they encountered a team that was much better, perhaps because the players were older—at least they looked older. My grandson’s team was no match. Toward the end of the game, and well after it was no contest, a ground ball was hit to my grandson in the outfield. He caught it. Hurriedly, and wildly, he threw it toward the infield. When the inning was over, my grandson came off the field in tears. After the game, I talked with him about why he was crying. He stated that his wild throw had cost his team the game. The game, however, was well out of reach and furthermore his error had, at most, cost one run—hardly a game changer.

My grandson’s view of reality was distorted, which led him to misunderstand the situation, draw a flawed conclusion, and make a wrong choice (mourning that he caused his team to lose the game). To be clear, there is nothing wrong with crying, but one should cry for the right reasons.

One of my roles in my grandson’s life is to help him make the right choices. To do this, he must see reality correctly, understand reality correctly, and draw the right conclusions. The starting point for this process is metaphysical awareness—seeing reality from God’s perspective.

Scripture reveals that God works all things together for good. Since good is a divine attribute,¹ then by extension that which is called good is aligned with the nature and purpose of God.² Furthermore, God orchestrates circumstances to facilitate alignment with himself, particularly for those who are called according to God’s purpose.³ And, in the end, everything will be aligned with him.⁴

One of the ways God facilitates this alignment is through delegated authority.⁵ It is the role of authority figures (parents, grandparents, employers, managers, teachers, spiritual leaders, and civil leaders) to be tools to facilitate alignment with God. A biblical illustration of this is found in the life of Samuel.

Samuel was a young apprentice in the service of the high priest Eli. Samuel did not yet know the Lord, but the Lord spoke to him.⁶ To respond to this situation correctly, Samuel needed help; he needed to see and understand reality correctly, draw the right conclusion, and make the right choice. Consider these four steps in Samuel’s situation:

1. See reality correctly. No one naturally sees reality clearly⁷ without assistance. Authority figures are given to us to help us see reality more clearly. For example, when the Lord first spoke to Samuel, Samuel did not recognize the Lord’s voice. In fact, Samuel did not yet know the Lord⁸ and the word of the Lord was rare in those days.⁹ But Eli knew the Lord and Eli knew that the Lord communicated with humans. After several visits from Samuel, Eli realized that the Lord was communicating with Samuel. Eli then helped Samuel see reality correctly by validating that the Lord is real and personal, that is, God communicates.
2. Understand reality correctly. Wise people seek to understand truth. When the Lord spoke to Samuel, he did not understand who was speaking. Samuel did not know that God was real and personal, that God could and would communicate with mankind.¹⁰ And since revelation from God was rare in those days,¹¹ Eli was slow to recognize that God was communicating with Samuel, but he finally did. Eli helped Samuel understand that God communicates and that God might be choosing to communicate with Samuel.
3. Draw the right conclusion. Right conclusions are always rooted in understanding God’s perspective of reality. I call this metaphysical awareness. God is always at work in every situation to accomplish his will.¹² In any situation, the right question is “What is God doing?” This probing question seeks to discern God’s will. Eli helped Samuel conclude that the God of the universe is real and personal and chose to communicate with Samuel. Therefore, Samuel should respond as his servant.
4. Make the right choice. Finally, after seeing reality correctly, understanding reality correctly, and drawing the right conclusion, one must make the right choice. The right choice is always alignment with God. Eli explained to Samuel how to respond.¹³ The only proper response to a communication from the Creator of the universe is to listen as a servant.

Following Eli’s example, I sought to guide my grandson. My grandson needed to see reality correctly, understand reality correctly, draw the right conclusion, and make the right choice. Baseball provided an opportunity to help him align with God. Here was my attempt to effect maturity in my grandson.

1. See reality correctly. Yes, my grandson made an error—an error very common for his age and skill level. In fact, his teammates also made many errors. Growing up is a maturation process.
2. Understand reality correctly. Understanding reality was more difficult due to lack of experience and distorted thinking. For my grandson, this was the final game of a successful season. His team practiced hard and played hard. They made it to the semifinal game of the playoffs. My grandson’s team, however, was overmatched in this game. They were never in the game and one play was not going to make much difference. They simply played a better team and lost. The process of maturation can have disappointing moments, but through the disappointment one can still grow.
3. Draw the right conclusion. One error did not cost my grandson’s team to lose the game. In life, everyone makes mistakes and there will be many disappointing situations, but God is always at work to help us grow and mature in our ability to respond to life correctly.
4. Make the right choice. My grandson’s team lost because the other team was better, not because of any one error or even multiple errors. I explained to my grandson, the right choice is not discouragement and tears, but encouragement. The arduous work of each player made the team successful. And when the team was successful, each player was successful. Therefore, the right choice was to practice diligently, and play well with humility and gratitude. Be thankful for a wonderful season and look forward to the next season. Whether winning or losing, the right choice is to play hard and be thankful.

This story illustrates a powerful reality in a world where people are born as infants and then must mature into adults, both physically and spiritually, under the tutelage of parents—natural and spiritual. The process of maturation requires authority figures who can help along the way. These authority figures serve as commissioning agents to guide and direct us into alignment with the will and ways of God.

Commissioning agents help us see reality, understand reality, draw the right conclusions, and make the right choices.

Natural and spiritual fathers are major commissioning agents in our lives. All of us would be wise to submit to fathers and allow them to guide us in the process of maturing in Christ.

May the Lord grant us the grace to submit to our fathers and other commissioning agents whom God has sovereignly placed in our lives and may they guide us into the right choices in life—choices of alignment with the will and ways of God.

Happy Father’s Day!

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1. Psalms 73:1.
2. Matthew 19:16–17.
3. Romans 8:28.
4. Romans 14:11.
5. Romans 13:3–4.
6. 1 Samuel 3:4, 7.
7. 1 Corinthians 13:12.
8. 1 Samuel 3:7.
9. 1 Samuel 3:1.
10. 1 Samuel 3:7.
11. 1 Samuel 3:1.
12. Ephesians 1:11.
13. 1 Samuel 3:9–10.

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