There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3:1, NIV)
Those who think they have something to say about what’s going on in the game of golf have had plenty to talk about in recent days. Forget the Ryder Cup. That’s long past (chuckle chuckle). What they want to talk about now is golf’s off-season.
You may be noticing along with them that there really isn’t an off-season—at least not between the 2017-2018 PGA Tour schedule and the 2018-2019 schedule. That Ryder Cup week was the only “break.” And if you were one of those trying to secure Tour status through the Web.com Tour finals, you didn’t even get that.
Whether by words on the page or a tune in our heads, we do well to consider the seasons.Actually, many players had weeks off during the FedExCup Playoffs, and many more will take weeks off this fall. The most successful players may not swing a club competitively until January. That’s their choice. They can take the opportunities to play in Las Vegas or Asia or Sea Island or not at all.
But what about the fans?, these opining writers want to know. And what about us?, these writers ask for themselves. Is there no rest for the weary? Well, I’m glad to report that there is. But sometimes you’ve got to take it.
When “the Teacher” (likely Solomon) wrote the quirky Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, he could not have known that his words would still be taken up in song 3,000 years later. In reference to the Byrds’ 1965 hit “Turn! Turn! Turn!,” which was lifted right from Ecclesiastes 3, one online voice commented, “There may be seasons for everything else, but not for this song. It is for all seasons.” What an apt description of the timelessness of Scripture!
Whether by words on the page or a tune in our heads, we do well to consider the seasons. And when a natural turning occurs, like that of summer to fall, this may be a perfect time to take up the meditation.
Maybe you are like those golf writers, ready for a season of rest. Even the things we love can sometimes wear us down. Or maybe, having been forced into rest by a prolonged illness or into arrest by the caretaking of another, you are ready to get back to work, to know again the satisfaction of accomplishment. You may be weeping or laughing, remaining silent or speaking out, planting or uprooting.
In all this we recognize two things. The first are the differences among us. What you are past, I am now facing, and—though unbeknownst to us now—our friend will face in the months to come. The second is that for all the changes to come our way, God’s constant presence allows us to take our now to him in prayer: “Here’s where I am today, Lord. You know what I’m going through, and you know what it means. Please remain by my side to let me know your heart and your mind as I work through the things that are before me.”
—
Jeff Hopper
October 10, 2018
Copyright 2018 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.