I love golf. Like many sports, golf offers great lessons that can contribute to one’s success in life; success in any field of endeavor. One lesson is maintaining our sense of humor when facing adversity:
A
golfer, searching for a ball lost deep in the rough, asked the caddie, “Why do
you keep looking at that pocket watch?” “It
isn’t a watch” the caddie said. “It’s a
compass”.
Unknown Sage
Of course, golf, humor, and our Unknown Sage go “way back”:
Jesus Christ and Moses were playing golf
one day; standing on the first tee of a 450-yard par 4; Moses had honors. He hit a beautiful draw; 300+ yards; it came
to rest sitting up in the middle of the fairway; a pitch-and-a-putt away from a
birdie.
Jesus “skied” his tee shot. It landed a short 100 yards out. It bounced a couple of times and just as it
started to come to rest a ground squirrel ran out from the bushes that lined
the fairway and grabbed the golf ball in his mouth. As the squirrel was running, an eagle soaring
high above the course spotted the movement and swooped down clutching the squirrel
with the golf ball in its talons. As the
eagle banked in flight to head towards its nest, a bolt of lightning coming out
of a clear blue sky, struck the eagle and the shock caused the eagle to fall to
earth. The eagle struck the ground just
off the left edge of the 1st green and on impact, it let go of the
squirrel. The squirrel also feeling the
impact let go of Jesus’ golf ball and the ball rolled towards the pin; teetering
on the rim of the cup; a gust of wind came up and pushed the ball into the hole
for an “ace”.
Moses turned to Jesus and asked, “Are we going to play golf or are you going to screw around?”
My Dad used to
love watching the Masters golf tournament.
I did too. I’m not sure when or
why I stopped. Last week I was "grounded" by my doctor so I
had time to watch all four rounds. My wife
even joined some of the time. There was
a lot more to it than just golf.
There was Tiger Woods returning to the PGA tour less than 14 months following a catastrophic car accident that almost took his life and almost took his right leg. It wasn’t his play that inspired; it was him showcasing the epitome of what will and determination look like.
There was Scottie Scheffler, a 25-year old, rocketing to the #1 ranking in the world, seemingly unshakable under the pressure, golfer who won the tournament going away.
And then there was Meredith Scheffler, Scottie’s wife. Reassuring him Sunday morning before his final round when self-doubt crept into his mind. Meredith’s advice was to put his faith in God’s will. Just like my wife who has been reassuring me throughout my life to trust God’s will.
Yes, here’s to golf; lessons for success; and God’s will. All while maintaining our sense of humor (plus carrying a compass on the course just in case!).
GAP
When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or…
we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.
I enjoyed reading this! I liked Scottie's post win presser in which he discussed that his identity wasn't found in a golf score but in his personal relationship with God and that he was on earth to glory his Creator!
ReplyDeleteGreat point Time, thanks! Thx, GAP
Delete