"It's a Gimmie"

      There are some days, when I sit down to read a Scripture and then write on the meaning that God is showing me, that it is difficult to see an application. I want some words to literally jump off the page into my consciousness. I want an "aha moment", to know this is the message that I need right now. I know what I want at that particular time, but I don't always know if that is the way God wants me to get the lesson. Perhaps there is meaning in the struggle.

   My wife is always amazed that I can come in from a round of golf and be able to remember each of the shots on that round. Often I can recall, not only the score and each stoke, but also the feelings I had while playing them. I can take the scorecard and pick out several, and sometimes many, errant shots, that, if I had executed better, would have lowed my score to a respectable number. Even if my final score was OK, there would be missed opportunities for a great one. "If only" is a prefix to many a description of rounds played.

   There are 6 words that are music to my ears when I am not confident in my ability to score. As I walk toward my ball on the green, someone says, "pick it up, it's a gimmie". In other words, I don't have to make the putt for it to count. It is a chance not to be embarrassed by the flubbing of an easy shot. It is a short cut to a better round. When someone asks how I did that day, I can sing out with a decent number without admitting that I did not have to putt eight two-footers, but got to count them as good without any effort on my part.

   Is the object to look good on the scorecard, or play well?

   Is my object in study and blogging to look good for anyone who happens to read? To come up with some great insight that will make my time profitable? Sure, I want to hear from God, and want to be able to apply lessons from Scripture to my life, but could the struggle to determine these perhaps be the message on any given day?

   Maybe I had better not write down my score on a hole until the ball hits the bottom of the cup, a true measure of my game.

   There are no shortcuts to what God wants me to be. No gimmies.