Bamboozled - ‘Do you. It’s About You’
It started with a layup.
Well—at least, it was supposed to.
I was twelve years old, playing sixth grade basketball. Ten seconds left on the clock. My team was down by one. I stole the ball, had a clear path to the basket, and everyone—my coach, my parents, even my own conscience—was telling me the same thing:
“Keep it simple. Regular layup. Win the game.”
But instead of keeping it simple, I went behind my back, spun around, and tossed the ball over my head. You can probably guess what happened next.
I missed. The buzzer sounded. We lost.
And I’ll never forget the look on everyone’s face—my teammates, my coach, my parents. It said, “You started off so well.”
Here’s the lesson that stuck with me:
A good start doesn’t guarantee a good finish.
When Good Intentions Drift
We all start off with good intentions—good motives, pure hearts, the right direction. But if we’re not careful, those good intentions can begin to drift.
It’s not always dramatic. Sometimes it’s subtle—a slow slide from obedience to independence, from God’s will to our will, from “Your kingdom come” to “my kingdom come.”
That drift is what took down Saul.
The Rise (and Drift) of King Saul
When we first meet Saul in 1 Samuel 9, he looks like the perfect king—tall, handsome, obedient, humble, and faithful. He’s the kind of person who listens to his father, follows instructions, and takes responsibility.
But somewhere along the way, something changed.
God gave Saul clear instructions: wait for the prophet Samuel before offering the sacrifice. But Saul got impatient. He let fear and pride convince him that he could handle things on his own.
Later, when God told Saul to completely destroy the Amalekites, Saul decided to keep “the best” for himself—because, after all, he thought he knew better.
He was bamboozled into believing a lie the enemy still whispers today:
“Do you. It’s all about you.”
The Lie of “It’s All About You”
That lie has been around since the Garden of Eden.
It’s the reason Adam and Eve reached for the fruit.
It’s the reason Cain killed Abel.
It’s the reason Israel said, “Give us a real king.”
It’s the reason Saul’s good start turned into a tragic ending.
We start out wanting to serve God—but somewhere along the way, self takes the throne.
And when that happens, obedience turns into excuses. Faith turns into fear. Humility turns into pride.
The Call to Pay Attention
When Saul disobeyed, God spoke through Samuel:
“To obey is better than sacrifice… to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.”
—1 Samuel 15:22
That phrase—pay attention—is powerful. The word “pay” wasn’t originally about money. It was about respect. You pay attention, you pay respect, you pay homage.
Attention costs something. It’s valuable.
And what we pay attention to shapes who we become.
When we stop paying attention to God, our hearts drift. Our priorities shift. Our faith loses focus.
How to Refocus
So how do we stay attentive to God in a world full of distractions—when everything around us is trying to bamboozle us into believing it’s all about us?
Two simple, powerful rhythms can anchor us:
Authentic time with God every day.
Not a checkbox. Not a performance. Just real time with God—reading scripture, praying, reflecting. A few honest minutes every day can recalibrate your heart toward Him.Authentic time with God’s people every week.
Not just sitting in rows at church, but sitting eye-to-eye in real community. Confessing, encouraging, sharpening each other. We were never meant to pay attention to God alone.
The Perfect Finish
We all fall short. Like Saul, our attention drifts. Our pride gets the best of us. But there is One who started and finished perfectly.
Jesus, the true and better King, entered this world with good intentions—and finished on the cross with good intentions. And as He breathed His last, He said, “It is finished.”
When we fix our eyes on Him, He gives us the grace to return our focus—to pay attention again, to finish well, to live for something greater than ourselves.
Two Questions to Reflect On
What is keeping you from paying attention to the Father?
What is causing your good intentions to drift?
Name it. Confess it. Bring it before God. Because the moment we refocus on Him, we begin to find the strength to finish well.
