Golf & Faith
/So LARGE parts of Josh & I’s lives are FAITH & GOLF.
Being immersed in a lifestyle that includes lots of both has got me thinking of the many parallels between golfing, and living by faith. Here’s a few thoughts:
1) Loosen your grip & let the club do the work
I remember my first time on the range, I was dressed to the nines, ready to go, I looked like a pro. I’m a very determined, maybe some would say stubborn person, and I was ready to hit that tiny white ball like Michelle Wee. If she could do it, why couldn’t I? (Ya, I know, I’m crazy). So I was gripping that club with all my might in order to guarantee the best accuracy, I swung hard and fast, and did a 360, totally missing the ball.
Josh, naturally is chuckling at me at the time, but also gave me some advice. (We love giving each other advice). Josh said LOOSEN YOUR GRIP & SLOW THE SWING.
That’s a life mantra right there. Loosen your grip and slow your swing.
That was so counter intuitive to me. How in the world was having less control of the club, and swinging SLOWER, going to actually project the ball in the air further than ever before. Well, I tried it. And sure enough, that ball went over 200 yards, I KID YOU NOT! (ASK JOSH).
All that to say… In life, it’s the same principal. Sometimes we are holding on so tightly to the things in our lives, trying to maintain complete control over every little thing, that we actually are limiting the trajectory of where our lives can go. We aren’t letting “the club” do the work. In other words, we aren’t letting GOD do what only GOD can do. When we loosen our grip on things, and say, “God, please do what I can’t in this situation, I need you here.” Just watch the trajectory of that situation or circumstance fly. God is faithful, but He needs room to move! You may need to loosen your grip a little.
And the swing. I always thought it was incredible, the steady and might I say even slow speed that some of the “older” golfers at the club swing. And then I was even more surprised when the ball flew hundreds of yards in the air.
I am always “swinging out of my boots” they say. And again, we do this in life with the best of intention to do well, to see success, to push that ball forward. But sometimes when we are moving too quickly in life, things get inaccurate, balls get missed, and things fly off in the the wrong directions. I’d much rather swing once at a steady pace and hit that ball 200 yards, than swing 10 times erratically and hit one 300 yards. You know what I mean? Slow down. You are probably moving too fast. Excellence and accuracy are invaluable ingredients to success.
Sometimes we want to take credit for everything in our lives. We put in the work, we put in the effort, the training, the investment. But you could never do it without the club. Remember that ;) . We are nothing without God.
2) Hold on to the club
Here’s food for thought. You see you could read through my above thoughts and think okay, loosen my grip, let God move, so you let go of the club entirely. Listen, if you just let things go completely in your life and stop caring, stop trying, stop putting in any work… the ball ain’t going no where.
You still have to hold that club, you still have to move in that swing.
Yes, God can do anything, but we are still responsible to take care of what we have been given, it’s still our responsibility to hold the club well.
You don’t go around dropping your club on the course, no matter how many times you miss, you hold on to that club.
Hold on.
3) It’s a journey
Remember it’s a journey. They say that golf is one of the most difficult sports to learn and requires the most patience. You’re not going to birdie every hole your first time out there. Stick with it, enjoy the learnings, enjoy the seasons, keep the faith.
All my love,
Ash XOXO
