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I had the privilege of playing the Meadows Course at the Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, WV, recently. The Greenbrier experience was awe inspiring but my golf game, not so much. I always learn something every time I play and that round was no exception.
I met my playing partner and his young wife at the first tee and he apologetically informed me he was a “rookie.” He expressed his concern about making too many bad shots in an attempt to prepare me for the worst. I responded with, “there is no such thing as a bad shot.” It was an awkward moment so my consoling words came out before my mind engaged. We too often say things with good intentions but our words are disconnected from reality. I regretted those words all the more as we traversed the course.
Lesson #1
Your game may not be up to par when, after your last shot, the “rookie” says, “at least it didn’t go in the sand trap.” I knew he was trying to make me feel better but that statement, especially from a rookie, was an indicator of my meager efforts. We tend not to condemn others on the golf course because our next shot may be worthy of greater condemnation.
Lesson #2
The reality is there are “bad shots” in golf. Denial of this fact is like believing that your confession alone will change your reality. I have often said that our response to what happens is more important than what happens. The proper response is when our words move us to action and as a result our reality changes for the good.
Lesson #3
Don’t let regret effect your next shot. Mark Twain is attributed with saying, “golf is a long walk spoiled.” Golf has caused many people to loose their religion while others have seemingly found it. Prayer and the name of God can be heard between the tee and green on any given day. Calling on God under these circumstances is an expression of regret and has never improved anyone’s game. We can chose to live in regret and throw the clubs in the lake or refocus, address the ball and make your next shot your best shot. Letting go of regret and embracing the value of the experience, including the bad shots, is the difference between mediocrity and mastery.
Lesson #4
The game of golf, as with the game of life, can be redemptive. A bad shot off the tee can be redeemed with the next shot. If the next shot is bad, it can be redeemed as well. The difference can even be made up on the next hole. Redemption is regaining possession of something that was lost, stolen or otherwise relinquished in exchange for payment or clearing a debt. In golf, redemption is reconciling the good shots with the bad in order to win the game. In other words, the good shots must offset the bad or you loose. The exchange is the expenses paid and expertise gained from all the previous games. The hope is that we are more capable of redemption than our opponent.
Lesson #5
Shooting the perfect game is impossible. The only person who has ever claimed to have accomplished the impossible is the president of North Korea. The idea of shooting a hole-in-one on eighteen holes is outside the realm of reality. Many who chuckle at such insanity have made similar claims in their lives. They may not claim a perfect score but their sense of perfection comes from the opponents they have beaten. The reality is the course beats them every time. All their good shots will never equal a perfect game. Therefore, they will remain imperfect in the game of golf, as will the North Korean president.
In life, which is reality, redemption is God regaining possession of something He lost in the Garden – a righteous creation. The exchange was the life of His Son for the lives of fallen mankind. Jesus scored a perfect game and He alone is able to reconcile all of our bad shots. He who knew no sin, became sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). It sounds too good to be true. It’s not. How is that possible? It’s simple, He plays and we caddy.
Redemption includes both forgiveness for sins and a changed life through repentance. It is about accepting responsibility for our mistakes and past failures, learning from the experience and applying our new found expertise to future choices. The latter part is called “repentance.” Forgiveness apart from repentance only leaves a residue of remorse and the fate of a repeat offender. Redemption is always available, has the hope of a new reality and is necessary to alter your future.
The perfect game will always allude you. Your good shots may be good and they may beat your opponent but they will never beat the course. Someone will always be there to say, “at least it didn’t go in the sand trap,” and they won’t always be nice. Redemption comes when we admit that all we got isn’t good enough and we need someone to play the game of life in our stead (John 3:16).
Have a good game.