God, Golf and Grit
"I do not do the
good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do." Romans 7:19
Golf is a game that
one cannot play well unless works at it. And one cannot play extremely well
unless one commits to hard work. Bob Hope once said, "If you watch a game,
it's fun. If you play it, it's recreation. If you work at it, it's golf." Gary
Player once said that he has heard over and over from golfers how they would love
to play as well as he does. But he says that not many are willing to put in the
effort to get that good - up before dawn, beatin' balls and beatin' balls, hour
after hour until your hands bleed. Then take a break, bandage your wounds, and
back at it again. He is right. Golf takes work, and so does Christian
discipleship.
My game is biblical -
it is defined by a text in Romans, chapter 7, verse 19. Paul must have been a
golfer because he describes my game to a tee ("to a tee," he
repeated, grinning). He
says, "I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I
do." That is Risser golf.
In the eighth grade, Calvin found it necessary to drop out of school and go into the fields to help his family earn a living. But, despite his daily labor, he always felt God intended more for him than picking vegetables. His dream of becoming a professional golfer would not die, and Calvin took up the game as an adult.
Calvin Peete is a
name you golfers are familiar with. He grew up in the farm country of central
Florida, where he and his family made a living picking vegetables. Like any
other youth, Calvin had a dream. He wanted to be a professional golfer. His
friends laughed at his dream, pointing out that poor blacks just did not become
pro golfers.
Calvin not only had
the disadvantage of beginning golf at a late age, but he had to play with a
left arm that would not straighten out to full extension, the result of a
broken elbow when he was a child. Golfers would say it is impossible to play
the game without an extended left arm. But Calvin compensated for that
disability, and within six months he was shooting below 80. Eighteen months
later, he was shooting below par and joined the mini-tour in Florida in 1972.
In 1975, he qualified for the PGA tour - the oldest rookie ever, at age 35. He
won the Greater Milwaukee Open in 1979, and again in 1982, when he became the
winningest golfer on the tour. Now he is a successful competitor on the PGA
Senior tour. Calvin's persistent belief that God has a plan for his life
enabled him to persevere without giving up.
"It's been a long road from the fields to the fairways," Calvin says. "One a lot of people said was impossible. But you see, I knew something maybe they didn't. That God had a plan for me -- but I HAD TO BE WILLING TO WORK AT IT. When you work hard and pray hard, you have a combination that can take you places you've never imagined. It's taken me from green beans to a putting green... and far, far beyond."(3)
"I had to be willing to work at it," says Calvin. What are you willing to work at to become the Christian disciple that the Lord expects you to be? Regular public worship - never miss? Regular seasons of prayer? Regular Bible study that is intellectually demanding? Regular invitations to un-churched friends and neighbors to join you? Regular service in the name of Jesus? There is LOTS to work at. And, just like golf, it will take time, dedication, discipline. The Christian equivalent of beatin' balls and beatin' balls.
Can you succeed? Absolutely. The wonderful thing about discipleship is that we are not all by ourselves in the effort. We can rely on the historic teaching of the church, the love support of brothers and sisters in the church, and we can rely on the love and support of the one who sticks even closer than a brother, our Savior, Jesus Christ.
To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel... (I Cor. 9:20-23)
Now he gets into sports and this idea of discipline. Not a new idea, of course - the Psalmist in our Old Testament reading is utterly convinced that a disciplined approach to study of God's word will yield a rich harvest - "I treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against you" (Psalm 119:11). Move to the New Testament and find St. Paul saying, "Athletes exercise self-control in all things." Runners do not run with no sense of direction; boxers do not simply flail about in the air. If Paul knew anything about golf, he would have understood the concept of beatin' balls and beatin' balls. If someone wants to win, the effort is disciplined. The same it true with our relationship with Christ. When we take it seriously, victory starts to come…but we never want to forget the joy that comes in following Christ.
"It's been a long road from the fields to the fairways," Calvin says. "One a lot of people said was impossible. But you see, I knew something maybe they didn't. That God had a plan for me -- but I HAD TO BE WILLING TO WORK AT IT. When you work hard and pray hard, you have a combination that can take you places you've never imagined. It's taken me from green beans to a putting green... and far, far beyond."(3)
"I had to be willing to work at it," says Calvin. What are you willing to work at to become the Christian disciple that the Lord expects you to be? Regular public worship - never miss? Regular seasons of prayer? Regular Bible study that is intellectually demanding? Regular invitations to un-churched friends and neighbors to join you? Regular service in the name of Jesus? There is LOTS to work at. And, just like golf, it will take time, dedication, discipline. The Christian equivalent of beatin' balls and beatin' balls.
Can you succeed? Absolutely. The wonderful thing about discipleship is that we are not all by ourselves in the effort. We can rely on the historic teaching of the church, the love support of brothers and sisters in the church, and we can rely on the love and support of the one who sticks even closer than a brother, our Savior, Jesus Christ.
To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel... (I Cor. 9:20-23)
Now he gets into sports and this idea of discipline. Not a new idea, of course - the Psalmist in our Old Testament reading is utterly convinced that a disciplined approach to study of God's word will yield a rich harvest - "I treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against you" (Psalm 119:11). Move to the New Testament and find St. Paul saying, "Athletes exercise self-control in all things." Runners do not run with no sense of direction; boxers do not simply flail about in the air. If Paul knew anything about golf, he would have understood the concept of beatin' balls and beatin' balls. If someone wants to win, the effort is disciplined. The same it true with our relationship with Christ. When we take it seriously, victory starts to come…but we never want to forget the joy that comes in following Christ.
Terry
Risser
Reflections:
1) How do you
perceive your walk with God?
2) What correction
does God want us to make to find success?
Consider reading the Word:
Copyright 2014- Terry
Risser
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