Thursday I took a break from thinking/writing/teaching to play a fun game of cool-weather golf.
I’ve got to tell you, for someone used to playing in 95-degrees and 100% humidity, 18-holes of 50-degree North Carolina golf, along with good friends and some occasional sunshine, is just about as good as it gets.
I started out poorly, but then steadily improved to the point where I played the last seven holes in one-under-par.
It occurred to me – around about the hole where I completely wasted possibly the best drive of my golfing life, only coaxing the ball into the hole after another four extremely ugly shots – that the reason I always have such a great time is the fact that how well (or poorly) I play is nowhere near as important as the fact of being out there, loving life and having a good time.
In consequence my relaxed state of mind inevitably helps me to play better. Tension is always counterproductive, yet so many people play golf the way too many people live their day-to-day lives, loaded with tension and always a heartbeat away from irritation.
I don’t believe for a moment that God cares two hoots about lowering my score; but God does care that I have a peaceful mind, and I know for a fact there’s a relationship between the two.
LIFE IS TOO SHORT: Seriously, folks, life is too short, and way too important, to take ourselves so seriously. Jesus – as per usual – put it best when he said, “Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life” (Matthew 6:27)?
No, not even a heartbeat. But we can shorten our life span and compromise our quality of life by a significant margin when we lose touch with perspective.
I was blessed Thursday to share my mercurial round of fun with two men who both engage day-to-day life from the context of their identity as Jesus-followers.
JESUS & GOLF? Jesus threw out a lot of one-liners during the Sermon on the Mount, but the idea of perspective runs like a thread of unity throughout.
“Heads up, people,” Jesus seems to be saying, “because this is what it looks like to live as Followers of The Way.”
Simply put, Jesus makes everything better. There’s not a single element of this life we live that won’t benefit from a heart and mind grounded in the promise and the purpose of Christ’s teachings.
And, yes, Jesus is good for your golf game too!
– DEREK
Morning! It has taken me many years of living,55, to get to where I now can walk in peace, talk in peace and live a peaceful life. The day that I made up my mind to surrender fully and not say that today belongs to God but tomorrow I have to do it my way because God takes too long, I became a better person. I have fun or at least am content in everything that happens as a result of my decisions because I know I’ve made them depending on my Lord to lead me in my decisions and help me when they don’t go as they should. I know that God’s deliverance is immediate when I recognize His Sovereignty in my ( whole ) life.
Thanks Derek!