There was a man all alone; he had neither son nor brother. There was no end to his toil, yet his eyes were not content with his wealth. “For whom am I toiling,” he asked, “and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?” This too is meaningless—a miserable business! (Ecclesiastes 4:7-8, NIV)
It has been my experience that the conversations among competitive golfers rarely enter the zone we call “intimate.”
The trouble isn’t focus. We fix our eyes on the course or our swing or a rule in question, and we lock in!
The trouble is that we don’t focus on others.
This is true even among friends. We ask the casual question: “How are you doing?” But meanwhile, we’re spilling out a few practice balls and starting to loosen up. It’s probably OK that we don’t hear the reply, because if our friend is like us, all he is saying is, “Great,” “All good,” or “I’m fine.” The idea that anyone would want to actually hear about the struggles we have had during the week with our spouse, friend, or business is not our normal way—especially minutes before teeing it up.
But Links Players are supposed to be different. We should be the ones who listen for the moment when the door swings open for deeper conversation. When that moment comes, we can remember the “S” in LINKS and Share Christ through the great game of golf.
Today’s devotion comes with a mnemonic, or memory aid. Sound it out: N 2 ME C. It can be pronounced intimacy, which is good. But even better, it can give us a mission: Into me, see. Look into the eyes of another and hear what they are saying. See your friend all the way to the inside. Not many people take the time to listen and learn what another is experiencing. Often “fine” does not mean fine, and we’ll only recognize it if we’re paying attention.
God opened the door for me to ask the next question, “Do you believe in God?”Among the wisdom of his Proverbs, King Solomon wrote: “The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out” (Proverbs 18:15). What if from our discerning heart we looked into the heart of a friend? We would learn things about them, including their concerns and their needs. Solomon also wrote, “The heart of the wise instructs his mouth and adds persuasiveness to his lips” (Proverbs 16:22, NASB). When we take the time to “see” inside a person, we may also speak into their need with persuasively instructive words.
As in all things, Jesus shows us the best way. The Gospels record more than 300 questions that Jesus asked. Many of these were to connect with people, without judgment but with mercy. Jesus already knew everything about them before they spoke, but he asked all the same. He honored people by engaging them.
Recently, I was taking my swing in the middle of a round when a plastic bottle expanded in the golf cart and made a loud POP! as I transitioned into a downswing. A 72-yard wedge went 52 yards. I looked over to my cart partner (who was now on the other team) and said, “What was that noise?” His response was, “God’s intervention.” Maybe so, because God opened the door for me to ask the next question, “Do you believe in God?” My partner’s answer was, “Emotionally, yes; intellectually, not so sure.” As you can imagine, many more intimate conversations will follow because, although he didn’t know it, he had just said: “N 2 ME C.”
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Chris Hermann
March 15, 2021
Copyright 2021 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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