Fore!

   I got up this morning with not much time to read and write. It is Friday, and that is my regular golf day with three of my friends. So I spent about 20 minutes reading the Scriptures and thinking about what they said, then I had to eat breakfast and leave.

   After coming home from the round, and catching up on what had gone on here in my absence, I sat  down to try and get back in touch with what God might have for me in all of this. But it is hard for me to change gears just like that. I want to replay each shot, good or bad, from the round and see where I might have saved a few strokes or done something to make my score more respectable.

   Here are some thoughts relating both golf and life:

   Things I could have done better:
      1. Keep my eyes on the ball when hitting.
      2. Don't try to kill the ball.
      3. Make sure to line up in the way I want the ball to go.

   How this relates to life in general and the Christian life in particular:
      1. The big problem with taking the eyes off the ball while swinging is trying to see where the ball is going to go. When I pick my head up to watch, even before striking the ball, good things do not happen. In life, looking out to the future without paying proper attention to the present, leads to missed opportunities and missed communication from God.
      2. Trying to use all my strength to hit the ball does not work well for me. The use of a proper controlled swing is a better recipe for success. Swinging for the fences may produce a good shot sometimes, but more than likely it will land me in a spot that is hard to escape from.
      3. It is hard to hit the ball where you want to go, if you don't align the body so that the shot actually goes there. Even a smooth swing and a well struck ball will not fly toward the target if I did not line up to hit it there.

   What do I need to do the correctly relate the golf game to the Christian life?
      1. Keep my eyes on Jesus and go where He leads, not so much concentrating on the future but living in the present.
      2. Using the strength of God to get the job done and not relying on my own.
      3. Keep my goals and plans in line with His.

   There is a message for me in everything, even golf.