If you are a Golf fan you’ll recognise the significance of the title..if you are not, however, you won’t have a clue??? This weekend the world’s top professional golfers were battling the Scottish Links Course at Muirfield in the hope to come away with the most prized trophy in World Golf, The Open Championship. Links golf courses are notoriously difficult to play that even those who have grown up around them find no advantage to those who are strangers to these courses. This year has made that point clear again when an American Phil Mickelson took the trophy once again across the pound! (America has NO links courses!)
I tampered with golf a little bit a few years ago. The ‘handicap’ principle in golf makes it a game that anyone can play, with anyone else no matter the difference in their playing ability and each have an equal opportunity to win, unfortunately my handicap in golf was ME!
BUT I learned great lessons from golf and over the weekend was reminded of another couple.
No matter what experience or experiences you have, life is tough and can prove very difficult at times. Phil Mickelson was the only player after four days of competition who had an ‘under par’ score. The entire field of professional golfers, with their vast experience, skill and excellent equipment found Muirfield so difficult this year that ALL but one were beaten by the course itself!!
That is the reality of life isn’t it?
I had a tough week, last week and quite honestly I found myself going into the weekend more than a bit discouraged. The events of the week almost beat me!!! That was until Sunday. Thank God for Sunday!! Now there’s another analogy….if we had just a Good Friday and NO Easter Sunday?? Thank God for Sunday!! I stepped into Church, I was among the people of God, I heard the Mighty Word of God (and I preached it!), we sang together, we prayed together and we talked with one another AND the Lord lifted my soul, Hallelujah.
I came home yesterday with a renewed heart and thoroughly encouraged. Thank you Lord…………
Going back to the golf!!! One bad round never puts you off going back unto the course. One bad competition won’t stop those guys going off to play in another one next week.. One disappointment will not prevent them seeing another victory.. You see they have been around golf long enough to know that every one of them has bad days and won’t play well, the ball will not always go their way BUT then there are those days when they will and they will be the one holding a trophy in the air..
This is a new week, it holds great potential, don’t let the discouragement of last week rob you of the encouragement in this week..Keep going, learn from the mistakes if there were any, “and let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9. One more thing too, to remember, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9. Hey! Never mind a trophy, even if it is the prized ‘Claret Jug’!!!!
AND make sure YOU encourage someone else this week too. You will make their week better, I can tell you!!!
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