Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil. (Proverbs 4:25-27, ESV)
Keeping stats like fairways hit, greens in regulation, and the number of putts has been a part of professional golf for decades. Advancements in technology over the years have created a digital playground of numbers on the PGA tour. But on the LPGA tour, the same has not been true. With the help of the KPMG Performance Insights program, the LPGA Tour will soon get a forward bump in their ability to track and compile more statistical data for the players and the media.
Collecting stats for tour players, elite amateurs, or regular weekend golfers is helpful if the stats are used as an assessment tool for what is going well and what needs improvement. Without honest reflection by each individual golfer, stats are merely fun color commentary.
Thankfully we never have to evaluate our stats in life to be worthy of God’s love, grace, and forgiveness. God’s love is always available. Always. But that doesn’t mean he wants us to stay stagnant in our mind, body, or soul. The author of our passage in the book of Proverbs said, “Ponder the path of your feet, then all your ways will be sure.”
To ponder means to guard and to watch carefully one’s way of life. In other words, we need to take assessment of our thoughts, behaviors, beliefs, and emotional well-being on a regular basis if we want to stay on God’s straight path that is uniquely ours to walk. Pausing to take an honest assessment is not about condemnation (Romans 8:1), rather it is where we meet the compassion and kindness of God that moves us forward in our emotional and spiritual maturity.
Self-assessment is one way to help move us into deeper emotional and spiritual maturity in our relationship with Jesus, others, and ourselves.
In addition, taking personal assessment is not about comparing ourselves to other people. We need mutual friendships that help and encourage one another to do the hard work to guard and watch our way of life. While there are many different assessment tools at our disposal for personal growth, the most important measuring stick is the word of God itself.
With the advancement of technology and neuroscience over the last decade, we have countless sources for self-assessment and reflection. Whether it be through personality tools like the enneagram to books like “The Anatomy of the Soul” and “The Soul of Shame,” by Dr. Curt Thompson. Quality podcasts are available, presented by people who have done their own personal assessment work and are a wealth of godly wisdom. For example, “The Place We Find Ourselves,” “The Bible Project,” and “Sport. Faith. Life.” are three podcasts I really enjoy.
Golf stats are a great self-assessment tool to help us improve our golf games. Likewise, self-assessment is one way to help move us into deeper emotional and spiritual maturity in our relationship with Jesus, others, and ourselves.
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Tracy Hanson
July 14, 2021
Copyright 2021 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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