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I was on the Saddle Ridge golf course with Rich Hein (he can hit the ball a mile), Ken Sadeghian (doing very well with a new knee), Tom and Alice Weith (new participants in our church who play very good golf)
and I was hacking away at my golf ball. We were at Don Thomson’s
picnic which he graciously hosts every year at his home outside
Portage, and I was struggling to get my golf ball to go more than ten
feet every time I hit it. You should know that while I may not be the
worst golfer in the world, I am probably a close second. I still love
to play golf, being outside in nature, visiting with friends, and at
rare times, actually getting a nice solid hit with my golf club. It is
amazing how one good strike of the ball can give you hope despite the
many wayward shots that came before.
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Life,
like golf, is often made up of missed shots that go only about ten
feet, but then every once in a while, we hit it true and sweet. It
keeps you coming back for more.
One
of the things I am trying to learn in golf and life is to relax a
little bit and try and not swing so hard. Our best shots come when we
find the rhythm of the swing, and just let it happen. This is true in
our spiritual lives as well. Prayer, worship, Sabbath keeping and all
the practices that shape our spirits are just ways to learn the rhythm
of God’s love. When we do not trust in this grace, when we strive
to impose our own struggles in place of grace, that’s when we hit
it short and ugly. But then, when we least expect it, somehow the
universe aligns and we cease our struggle, and amazingly, what seemed
so difficult before becomes a beautiful shot. Faith is the ability to
trust; to let go and get out of the way, and let the rhythm of
God’s love shine through. It is why I keep coming back for more
in church.
Grace and Peace,
Alex
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