“Be thankful. Pray, sing, and dance to God with gratitude in
your hearts." ~ Colossians 3:15-16
For Allen, the end of November is
supposed to be a time to give thanks... unless you're a golfer living
year-round in Michigan. As he stowed his clubs away for another season, he
wondered why a game that makes grown men cry and toss their clubs like toddlers
is cause for celebration.
He recalled streaks of bad holes
where he watched the ball lip out for infuriating 3-putts. There were rounds
where he couldn’t seem to find the fairway no matter what club he chose. Don’t
even mention the “shank” he caught thin out of a greenside bunker that landed
inches from the group on the next tee box. Yikes!
It could be an 18-foot putt on
the last hole to save par. Or a chip-in over a trap that bounces once, hits the
flag, and drops for your first birdie of the day. Maybe it's reaching the green
in two shots on a long par five with a perfectly struck three-wood.
The memory of that one shot inspires
them to come back again trying to make another great shot.
Allen couldn't help but compare
that thought process to how he approached work and life. Rather than focusing
on the one good thing that happened each day, he sometimes pined over the dozen
things that went awry. Instead of thinking about his successes, he replayed his
failures.
His thoughts returned to
Thanksgiving. For him, it wasn’t about the turkey but about family and the
chance to kick back and celebrate how wonderful his life was. Being able to gather
around the table and thank God – that was just magic!
So, as a new golf season begins,
he vowed to forget the wayward shots!
There will always be at least
one moment that may help you find your purpose, or at the very least, the
courage to try something new, the confidence to keep moving forward, and the
drive to finish the round. He’ll work harder at celebrating the one great
conversation, the one selfless act of compassion, and any special moment that
made him smile, laugh, and cheer.
Springtime is a time to consider
your dependence on God’s gift in His Son Jesus. It’s a time to express
thanksgiving for our many blessings, for friends and family, for our jobs, and
for the many unexpected surprises in life that bless us. Actually, it’s also a time
to thank God for our “blades, whiffs, and shanks for they cause us to grow in
godliness and dependence on Him.
“Today, may we learn to walk
more as Jesus did, with an appreciation for His duty of service to the poor. That
He sought not to comfort His own ego, but to raise the glory of His wise words
of love.” ~Angela Abraham
