Golf Lessons

For Mother’s Day this year, I had the chance to spend the day with my husband and kids, just the four of us.  After eating lunch, we were discussing what to do next.  I wanted to do something that we would all enjoy, and I suggested that we go to an indoor golf facility.  My family quickly replied that everyone but me would enjoy this, because after all, I didn’t like golf.  I countered that it’s not that I didn’t like golf per se, I just wasn’t any good at it.

Now granted, other than miniature golf, I’d never given golf much of a chance.  The last time I had tried to swing a golf club was in the early 1990s.  It didn’t come naturally for me.  I would either miss the ball altogether or strike the ground and bring up a chunk of grass along with the ball.  I tried over and over again with the same results.  After a couple of failed outings, I decided to quit trying and save myself the embarrassment.

Other than putt-putt, my kids had never seen me hold a golf club.  I had never before accompanied them and my husband, P.G., in a game of golf.  They had simply heard my stories about how awful I was at swinging the club.  So I could understand their surprise when I suggested the golf outing for Mother’s Day.  I assured them that I would enjoy just being together and watching them play.  I told them that I would give it a try also, and we could all have a good laugh at my ineptness.

So off we went.  Upon taking my first swing, it was exactly as I had remembered it 20 years ago.  I missed the ball completely, catching nothing but air.  Upon my second swing, I struck the ground, which was unforgiving since it was a manufactured surface and not actual ground.

I tried to laugh at myself and not let the embarrassment take over.  I kept swinging without luck, and I began to wonder how long it would go on.  Would I ever hit the ball cleanly?  How many times should I try before resigning that it just wasn’t going to happen?

Then all of the sudden, it happened!  I made a clean hit and off the ball sailed.  It didn’t go very far, but I hit it nonetheless, and my family celebrated my accomplishment.  I hit the ball a few more times in a row, but then out of the blue, my awkward swing returned.  I tried to replicate what I had done before to no avail.  At that time, my teenage daughter, Lexi, approached me.  Lexi had observed that I was trying to swing too hard.  She suggested that I relax my grip and take a smooth, easy swing.  So I did what she said, and success!

I still had a few misses here and there, but I hit the ball more often than I missed it, all the while my family cheered me on.  I cheered them on as well.  It was a joy to see how naturally it came to my 10-year old son, Landry, and how excited he was for his turn every time.  He also had fun keeping track of everyone else’s turns and scores.  Of course P.G. drove the ball farther than any of us, and I enjoyed watching the ball fly with his swing of the club.  Lexi’s swing was the most striking of all.  She swung the club with such grace and ease; it almost seemed as if she were swinging in slow motion.  It didn’t seem like the ball would respond to such a graceful swing, but sure enough it did.

Later that night, I was thinking about how much fun we had.  I thought about all the years I had missed out for fear of embarrassment.  I had missed out on the experience.  I had missed out on the fun.  I had missed out on bonding with my family.  I had missed out on the chance to improve at something.  I had simply missed out.

And golf wasn’t the only culprit.  There were many things that I had avoided over the years for fear of embarrassment or failure.  Looking back on my life, I wondered how many blessings God had in store for me that I missed out on.  Oh how I had let fear run (and ruin) my life!  Fear has a way of doing just that.

These past few years, I’ve been trying to move beyond my fears.  It’s not easy for me.  I have to rely on God to help me do so, and I can only do so by placing my trust in Him.  But in doing so, I’ve found a joy and freedom unlike any I’ve ever known.  That is exactly what God desires for all of us.  He doesn’t want us to be bound by fear.  He wants us to live in the joy and freedom that can be found in trusting Him and stepping out in faith.

Faith isn’t just believing, it’s acting.  God has put the club in our hands, but we have to swing it to hit the ball.  We may miss a few times, we may hit the ground, but the important thing is that we keep swinging and see what God is trying to teach us.  God may tell us to stay the course.  He may suggest a new approach.  He may tell us to relax our grip.  Whatever His plan, it will certainly require us to keep swinging.

No doubt, as we place our trust in God, we will make new connections and soar to new heights.  We will find that God will help us do things that we never thought possible.  We will celebrate new victories.  We will discover wonders and fresh awakenings.  We will live in joyous freedom.

So I encourage you, don’t hold back for fear of embarrassment or failure.  Don’t miss out on the joy and fun.  Don’t miss out on the opportunity to connect with others.  Don’t miss out on the opportunity for personal growth.  Don’t miss out on all God has in store for you.

Don’t let the fear of missing the ball keep you from swinging the club, or you’ll miss out on such much more.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” – 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)