Life Lessons I Have Learned From Golf

(Recently, I was asked to speak after a golf tournament. These are my points. I thought I would share them with you.)

I. Focus. Keep your head down and your eyes on the ball, has been over used but it still is one of the most important points in golf. In life it speaks to me of “Focus”. It is important that we first, “ keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith”.(Heb. 12:2) It also speaks to me about focus on our life goals themselves. You hit where you aim!

II. Satisfied . In golf, you should never get satisfied. Most golfers get to a place of comfort in their game and quit improving. In our walk with the Lord we must never think, “this is good enough”. Phil 3:14 “ I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Be willing to pay the price for improvement.

III. Tentative. I was leaving the golf course one day after a rather bad round and heard another gentleman say, “I was too tentative today”. I knew exactly what he meant because that described my round as well. Tentative means, “hesitant, cautious, uncertain, timid”. In your daily life, you must learn to live by faith and be the opposite of “uncertain, hesitant and timid” . Josh. 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. (2 Tim. 1:7)

IV. Avoidance. We must face the reality of our condition in order to move to the next level. I have never seen a golfer who wouldn’t turn away from bad shots. We hate to see them. In our Christian walk the same is true. We don’t want to see or admit our weaknesses. Facing our weaknesses is critical to improving.

V. Practice. Most golfers hate to practice. They just want to play! It is a known fact that “practice makes perfect.” The same is true in our faith. In golf we practice in order to work into our game a better swing that will keep us from making costly mistakes while under pressure. It has to become second nature to us. Almost all golfers get into a difficult situation and revert back to old bad habits. The same in true in our daily life. Heb. 5:14 “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, [that is], those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

VI. Coaching. I was beating away on the driving range and an old man from a bench said, “can I ask you a question”? I said, “sure”. He asked, “how do professional football and baseball players learn to play their sport. I thought and said, “coaches”. He said, “exactly”, and that’s the only way you learn to play golf too!” The same is true in our faith. That’s what discipleship is all about. We need a more mature believer to give instruction and oversight and help us mature in Christ. A novice golfer (or Christian) may teach us bad habits that may remain for life.

VII. Commitment. Once you check the wind, choose the right club and get over the ball, you must be “committed to the shot”! You can’t swing in a half-hearted, questioning way. You must see the ball going where you want it to go. The same is true in your Christian walk. We must remain committed to our faith every day for the rest of our lives.

The Kingdom View

One of the most difficult things about the Christian walk is our mindset. While the "new birth" reality occurs instantaneously the moment we receive Christ, we are going to heaven, yet, the mental understanding of that reality is a life long pursuit. We all know that our salvation has nothing to do with our "feeling saved". Thank God! While this is truth, we can't settle in that place of immature thinking and the acceptance of mediocrity. We must always be pushing ourselves to let our minds embrace what God says about us.

The Apostle Paul seems to lace his grace filled writings with the most troubling comments. Several come to mind; the fact that he says in one place "I have learned to be content". On another he says, while rebuking the church at Corinth, "you are acting like mere men". Mere men...aren't we mere men? Obviously not. Once we receive Jesus into our lives and we begin this cohabitation with the Holy Spirit, we are different than natural men. Our tastes and appetites change and yes, our thinking changes. That is what the "renewing of the mind is all about.

When we think of these kinds of things our self-centered motivations immediately make it very personal and we think about personal gain. We think, "that should make my life better or easier". In reality a renewed mind and a daily awareness in this area causes us to think with a Kingdom of God mindset. If a person or a church for that matter, are operating from a Kingdom mindset it will be reflected in the their goals and the church's vision. A church with a renewed mind, one that is not dictated by the tastes and demands of the world, will have in it's forefront worship, righteousness, world missions, evangelism, discipleship, the priesthood of the believer and a caring for the less fortunate. It will be consumed by a desire to do the will of God more than building what it believes is a good thing or maybe a drawing card.

Mere Men...let's give it some thought!

The individual journey

For about a year now, I can't get this "every man has a journey" thought off my mind. I see it everywhere. The more I meditate on it, the bigger it gets. It really brings into play, the sovereignty of God. The fact that God has a plan for each of us on this planet is mind boggling! If that is true, and I believe it is with all my heart, that means I need to be careful just how much I get involved in other's lives.

When I first became a Pastor in my mid 20's, I felt this need to have all the answers for everyone who came to see me. Then there came the revelation and liberation that I did not have to have all the answers for everyone. Truth be told, I knew all along I didn't have all the answers, but the people seemed to think I should so I acted like I did! That's a great pressure. Then came the realization that not only did I not have the answers but I could get in the way of people and their walk with the Lord if I became too involved in their special journey. It has been said that "necessity is the father of invention". I think that all too often we as counselors, pastors, parents and friends get so involved in trying to "help", that we get in God's way and stop the normal process of "necessity". Thus, there is no invention. In spiritual matters we would say that the end result of such spiritual meddling stops revelation or worse hinders growth. There is a place for just groping in what appears to be darkness until you break into the sunshine of a new level of maturity. Like the little chick working to break from the shell of the egg, it is the strenuous effort that not only brings release but the effort itself is a preparation for the next level of living.

We need to step back from the problems of others and pray. Just because I can stop another person's pressure, does that mean that I am supposed to? Yes, we are called to help those around us. However, like the little chick, too much help at the wrong time could kill or dwarf the life that will result from the struggle. Let others have their own journey. Trust the Lord to bring them along in His way and in His time. Be ready to assist them as the Lord leads but let it be out of the true leading of the Lord and not mere human emotion or worse, a desire to control.