Par for the Course is F O R E !!
Golf is probably the only sport that requires the body to contort into a form that is completely foreign to the natural make-up of the human body. We learn to grip this stick with our hands and put our wrist in a most uncomfortable position. Then we have to rotate this stick with a glob at the end in the form of an arc, keeping our left arm straight, right arm bending at the elbow, letting our left shoulder go under the chin, at the same time not moving our head so we can see this little white ball sitting on the ground. Now, we shift body weight and then swing this stick with glob on the end of it, in the opposite direction and hit that little white ball. We keep repeating this process over and over again, our body parts aching and aching.
At times we have to wonder if all this S U F F E R I N G is necessary. You can quit and be your own complacent self. Or, you can apply this suffering to your life, as God's way of letting us understand the conflict that takes place in body and mind when you seek the Lord Jesus Christ. We have slipped and stumbled, just as God knew we would. He is giving us an opportunity to re-evaluate ourselves. He is giving us his promise of forgiveness through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Through our suffering to do better, we have P E R S E R V E R E D . Perseverance, through practice and the helping hand of others in the game of life creates a C H A R A C T E R in us that we never knew existed. It is one of the ways that the Lord wants us to be successful, so that we may become closer to him. He is giving us strength to carry on his work in helping others find their character. Now when we go to the course, we feel the elation of making a shot that was precisely what we pictured in our mind. This feeling of elation also comes over us when we find the glory of God in our lives.
The games of golf and life are not easy. We will still shank shots, miss easy putts. We're only human beings and therefore subject to make mistakes. But, it is through H O P E that we pray for the round of golf that is as near to par for the course for us human beings to achieve. It is through this hope that we seek forgiveness and being brought closer to the everlasting glory of God through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Shirley Smith
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