Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Putts



Have you ever seen golfers on TV (like the guys in the photos) looking hard, studying, "reading" something that doesn't have words? I have, and as a casual golfer I often find myself trying to better one of the parts of my game that is most important. I have read books on becoming a better putter. I have taken lessons and practiced the techniques. There is in fact a whole lot of work involved in order for a golfer to sink a putt. There are many factors that the golfer must pay attention to such as slope of the green, which direction the grain of the grass is growing in, the side-to-side tilt of the green either from left to right, or right to left, the length of the grass, etc. Professional golfers are where they are and making the gross amount of money that they make in part because they have put the time and energy in learning the "art of putting."
I was out at a local golf course yesterday spending some quiet time with God. I decided to take some time out from my busy schedule to go whack the ball around for 9-holes. I have always used golf as a soothing therapy. Golf is a dynamic in a sense that it can be fun in competition and it's also a relaxing pastime.
On the first hole I scored a par. Hole number two gave me a little trouble as I hit my approach shot (shot played to the green) over the intended target. My ball landed 30 feet past the green behind a pine tree. I was faced with a difficult shot through some low-hanging limbs to hit the ever escaping green. Fortunately, I was able to maneuver the ball through the limbs onto the green. My ball ended up about 20 feet from the hole. Normally in a competitive round of golf, I would take my time and really read my putt from all angles to give myself the best opportunity of sinking it. This time was different, I didn't care to take my time and read this particular putt. Since I still had a wedge in my hand, I walked up and skulled the top of the ball to get it rolling toward the cup. In my head I thought "God this ball is in your hands..." And, I'll have you know it, the ball fell in the hole!
I took a step back and realized something in that instant about Trusting God. Sometimes I find myself being so methodical, well-planned and thought out. I need to give some of my burdens and situations to God and just TRUST Him that He'll take care of me and allow His will to be done. God freely took that golf ball in His hands and humured me by placing it into the hole. If He'll do this with a golfball, it goes to show that He wants to do it with EVERYTHING in our lives. We just need to trust Him. 1 Peter 5:7 (New Living Translation)
7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

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