I
would in no way consider myself a golfer. However, I do play on
occasion. I play just enough to understand a few things about
the game.
The first thing
that any honest golfer would tell you
-
if they are really honest
-
is that it’s
a game of bondage. All the way around the course you are promising
yourself that you’ll
never waste your time or money again on such a frustrating, meaningless
activity. Then somewhere around the 18th hole, you quit trying so hard
and manage to hit one perfect shot, which of course gives you feelings
of grandeur and right then and there you are hooked.
The second thing
I know about golf is that it is dishonest to call it a
“game”.
Everyone knows you really don’t
play golf, you work at golf. Golf isn’t
an activity of relaxation, but rather one of practice and concentration.
Whenever I get home from a golf outing with my dad or other close
friends, my wife always asks if I had a nice visit and what we talked
about. For the life of me I can’t
remember a single conversation that didn’t
include phrases like
“Nice
putt!”,
or “I
don’t
know what’s
wrong with me today
-
I was hitting the ball a mile last week.”
By now you may be
asking, “Why
is a pastor writing a feature article about golf on Easter Sunday?”
Or, “Is
he confessing his bondage, or does he really have a point to this?”
Well, I have learned a lesson from golf that is an invaluable life
message: an authentic Christian life has a similarity to the fluid golf
swing.
Now, wait a
minute and hear me out. Before you give up
-
let me explain ...
All my life I
have wanted to hit the ball long and straight. But, the harder I try,
the more inconsistent I seem to become. If I think about it too much or
swing too hard, the ball will never go where I want it to go. Sometimes
I even completely miss the ball. The only time I ever hit the ball
“well”
is when I do what feels natural rather than pressing or forcing my
swing. The key to a golf swing is disciplined freedom. And so it is with
the Christian life.
As Jesus spoke
the words of the prophet Isaiah in Luke chapter four, he said that he
had come to set the captives free. He came to free us from the bondage
of sin, fear and the worldview of performance.
Our human nature
puts us in bondage. The Christ nature that comes through the gift of
grace empowers us to a life of amazing freedom. This is the story of
Easter.
Our old nature is
crucified. We are given a new nature
-
the free, undeserved gift of
“amazing
grace.”
Then, and only then, is it possible to live life in that natural
abandoned freedom that gives us direction and fulfillment.
This is the story
of Easter - our
Resurrected Christ!
Now, back to my
golf analogy ...
When we watch
Tiger Woods hit a drive 350 yards straight as an arrow, we are awed by
his timing, his fluid natural swing. It’s
as if he isn’t
even trying. Tiger’s
swing is effortless, unforced and enjoyable
-
just like God’s
desire and plan for us. He offers us the gift of walking out a new life
of freedom and relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus Christ.
In the final days
of the Winter Olympics, the world watched the agony of the women’s
finals in figure skating. Everyone knew how hard Michelle Kwan had
worked for this one performance. Everything in her life had focused on
this one chance to win the gold medal. The intensity on her face and the
stiffness of her movements as she entered the rink told the whole story.
Michelle had
everything she needed to skate freely but perhaps she tried too hard. On
the other hand, Sarah Hughes stepped on the ice and decided to let it
all go and just let her body do what had become natural. It was almost
as if she didn’t
care about the outcome. She wanted to enjoy the moment and the
experience. She was free and her freedom brought tears to the eyes of
millions of Americans who learned a lesson that night about true grace.
Grace empowers us
to be graceful.
One of the
greatest pitfalls in the human experience is to become so absorbed in
the mechanics of perceived success that the fluid talent, gifting and
eternal plan of the Creator are blocked.
The world system
dictates a definition of success that forces many of us into a life of
bondage. Success is defined by the cars we drive, where we live, the
titles behind our names and the position of influence we hold. Success
is often dictated by our old nature and ends up detouring us from what
will really give us joy.
We work so hard
to achieve the things we think we need, only to find later that we have
missed the best years of our lives and those we love. We strive to climb
to the top, only to find out that in getting there, we have neglected or
damaged the relationships that are truly meaningful. We invest all our
energy in things that we believe will bring fulfillment, only to find
that in the end, we are left empty and unfulfilled.
We are slicing
and hooking our golf shots. We have tried to control the ball in our own
power and we have not learned how
to swing naturally and
freely.
Christ came to
give new life and to give it abundantly (John 10:10). He did this by
dying for us on the cross. He gave the final sacrifice for mankind so
that we could receive this new nature and be empowered to live a new
life. He came to grant us a life of freedom and joy as we learn to lay
down the striving of our old nature, and do what now becomes natural by
way of our new nature.
It is amazing
that, by living under His grace, we can become graceful. When we are
operating in our new nature, we can actually hit the ball of life
farther and with greater accuracy. Not only does our life become free,
but rewarding and more fruitful.
It may sound a
bit crazy, but it’s
true -
the Christian life is like a championship golf swing.
The Easter
victory is ours!
