One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. (Psalm 27:4, NIV)
Part of the reason it is so hard to “be on your game” when you play golf is that there are so many aspects of the game you need to have working. Go ahead and drive it down the middle; you still have to keep your approach shots from greenside trouble. If you don’t, you’ll need your pitching and chipping game to be sharp—or you’ll need a sizzling putter to make all those 12-footers you keep leaving yourself.
Maybe we should all just face it: We’re not going to be on our game very often.
Those who understand sport psychology always remind us that managing your expectations is one of the only ways you’ll enjoy the game. Whether you’re trying to break 100 or par, as soon as it looks like that’s not going to happen today, your nerves fire, your blood runs hot, and your ears steam (OK, maybe that last one only happens in the cartoons). Those who won’t allow this to happen (1) stand a better chance of getting back on track and (2) can have a good day though their game is not so good.
One strategy for managing your expectations, especially if you play infrequently or haven’t played in a while, is to limit your focus to one thing. Make today about good long putts, for instance. Even if you struggle with those lags, you can take the rest of your shots as they come, both good and bad. You can brush off your misses on the way to the green and try again with your long first putt once you get there.
As a shepherd, David had so many sheep to mind. As a king, his subjects multiplied. His eyes would have been drawn in numerous directions.The Christmas season has a tendency to thrust us into the “be on your game” way of thinking. There’s so much to do, so many places to go, so many people to spend time with. When it doesn’t all come together, we feel haggard and frustrated. We point fingers at ourselves and others. It’s just no fun.
All this is true even for those who keep reminding themselves that there is “a reason for the season.” Unless they can set that reason apart and focus on it alone.
David wrote of his intense desire to reduce his life’s focus to a singular attention: the Lord. As a shepherd, David had many sheep to mind. As a king, his subjects multiplied. His eyes would have been drawn in numerous directions. Yet he saw value in, he knew refreshed strength came from, one thing. He needed to spend time with God.
I think the lesson before us is plain by now. The best thing we can do this season—any season—is to reduce our focus, training our eyes on Jesus. In a manger, at the temple, on stormy seas, among the healthy and the sick, at the table, on the road, before his accusers, on the cross, in the tomb, resurrected and glorified—wherever we see him, let’s keep looking his way. Other matters will still need our attention, but they will fall into right place behind our one focus if we prize and protect that first.
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Jeff Hopper
December 16, 2019
Copyright 2019 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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