For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
“Nothing is constant but change.” This quote is attributed to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus. He was, I believe, spot on. And, as in all other aspects of life, this “nothing constant but change” thing comes up frequently in golf.
Take, for example, the change I’ve seen in my golf clubs. I will say that I intensely dislike my golf clubs. They are betrayal personified. There was a day when they would send a ball whistling down the fairway a long way, often quite straight.
Over time, they’ve weakened and routinely initiate a consistent but unenthusiastic fade that returns to the turf noticeably short of where it landed back in the day.
Another change I’ve seen in my game is that the Siren Song of the golf cart seems to be getting louder and more seductive. My preference has always been to walk the course.
Walking has the double benefit of closely approximating actual exercise and conveniently also sets the stage for the observation (after a lackluster round) that “it’s more about the walking than the golf.”
As the birthdays have continued to pile up, I find that often, by the 14th hole, particularly in the summer months, there isn’t enough Gatorade in the world to prevent my pace from transitioning from “brisk” to “plodding.”
All these changes – the ever-decreasing yardage with the driver and the waning stamina when trying to walk 18 holes – prove that I’m dying. We all are.
The body parts of some of the geezers I play with have died already. Their knees and hips have been discarded in bright red plastic biohazard bags deep in the bowels of various hospitals, replaced by sterile and shiny titanium store-bought versions.
These guys are out of the rotation for a few months but then show up again better than ever. My joints are all still “factory issue,” but I’ve noticed that they grind and ache more frequently—no doubt there’s a biohazard bag waiting for my knee.
I don’t know much about eternal life, but today’s verse – easily the most recognizable of Bible verses – indicates that the Son of God provides it for us. And one aspect of it for those who believe is they “…should not perish….”
In other words, none of what I’ve described above – decreasing skill, strength, and stamina, not to mention wear, tear, and eventual discarding of body parts (or the whole package, for that matter) will be happening in the Kingdom that Jesus consummates. Change for the worse will not be a thing.
I imagine that the Heavenly Wikipedia entry for Heraclitus will read something like, “Heraclitus: an Ancient Greek philosopher who postulated that change was a universal constant. Back in the day, sometimes that change was change for the worse. Not so now.”
Prayer: Thank you, Heavenly Father, for being eternal and changeless and for having promised that, in Christ, we will be as well.