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“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
- 2 Corinthians 5:17
- 2 Corinthians 5:17
It was an incredibly beautiful Fall day. I gathered with a few friends for 5 hours of pure frustration and tirelessly chasing little white balls around the beautiful green turf of the local golf-course. As for me I would spend more time in the tall brown weeds lining the sides of the fairways than on the green turf though. There's always that moment at the very beginning when you are 20 yards away from the club-house and you know there are people on the putting greens and in the bar watching. It's as close as I'll ever have to actually golfing in front of a gallery of people. There is a tradition in golf to of flipping a tee to determine who hits first. Knowing that I am on the low end of the talent pool, my simple prayer at that moment was that someone else go first. I watched as the tee flipped and spun through the air and landed on the grass. The pointed end was pointing straight at me, which meant I had to hit first.
The butterflies begin as I step up to the tee-box and set the ball upon the tee in the ground. Just for show, I stretch a little, and then wiggle my club around behind the ball as if I were coming to a balanced position. With a smooth backswing and shifting my weight back and then forward, I pull the golf club down on a collision path with the Titelist 4. It sounds awesome and I breath a sigh of relief, until I look up to see the ball on a trajectory directly sideways toward the 18th hole green. The jeers and laughs are audible from those around the tee-box and putting green as I stepped away from the tee, leaving it in the ground. Looking up at the group of guys with me, all holding back their humorous comments, "I'm gonna need a mulligan guys." A mulligan is a "do-over", a second chance and as tradition would have it in friendly games of golf you're typically entitled to one mulligan per 18 holes. It stinks to use it on the very first hole, but sometimes it's necessary. The key is to ensure you don't screw up the do-over as well. On this particular day, I was fortunate and hit the ball long and straight down the middle on my second shot.
When you have accepted Christ in your life though, life off the golf course follows the same principles. Sin abounds in each of us. The next time you are in a crowded room, look to your left and then to your right. Those individuals are also struggling with sin. But there are times when the spotlight shines on our sins though and it is at these times when others are watching to see how you handle it. Those on the putting greens of life are watching you, to see how you react. Just as in golf, the important thing is that you learn from your mistakes and seek redemption through the one who can give you a mulligan. The great thing about our Savior is the fact that He will actually tee up the new ball for you and give you the ability, determination and confidence to stand in front of that audience and hit the next one straight down the middle.
I'm not much of a golfer, my friends can attest to that, but I'm even worse at dealing with the temptations, trials and pain of life. The greatest thing though is that I know the designer of the game of life and He's a great coach.
The butterflies begin as I step up to the tee-box and set the ball upon the tee in the ground. Just for show, I stretch a little, and then wiggle my club around behind the ball as if I were coming to a balanced position. With a smooth backswing and shifting my weight back and then forward, I pull the golf club down on a collision path with the Titelist 4. It sounds awesome and I breath a sigh of relief, until I look up to see the ball on a trajectory directly sideways toward the 18th hole green. The jeers and laughs are audible from those around the tee-box and putting green as I stepped away from the tee, leaving it in the ground. Looking up at the group of guys with me, all holding back their humorous comments, "I'm gonna need a mulligan guys." A mulligan is a "do-over", a second chance and as tradition would have it in friendly games of golf you're typically entitled to one mulligan per 18 holes. It stinks to use it on the very first hole, but sometimes it's necessary. The key is to ensure you don't screw up the do-over as well. On this particular day, I was fortunate and hit the ball long and straight down the middle on my second shot.
When you have accepted Christ in your life though, life off the golf course follows the same principles. Sin abounds in each of us. The next time you are in a crowded room, look to your left and then to your right. Those individuals are also struggling with sin. But there are times when the spotlight shines on our sins though and it is at these times when others are watching to see how you handle it. Those on the putting greens of life are watching you, to see how you react. Just as in golf, the important thing is that you learn from your mistakes and seek redemption through the one who can give you a mulligan. The great thing about our Savior is the fact that He will actually tee up the new ball for you and give you the ability, determination and confidence to stand in front of that audience and hit the next one straight down the middle.
I'm not much of a golfer, my friends can attest to that, but I'm even worse at dealing with the temptations, trials and pain of life. The greatest thing though is that I know the designer of the game of life and He's a great coach.
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