Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
We often hear about the life lessons that golf teaches. It recently occurred to me that marriage lessons could apply to my golf game. Insights into marriage are transferable to my golf game. This devotional may not improve your golf game, but it might improve your marriage.
Before we got married, all we saw was how “alike” we were, but we underestimated our differences. Because we had such high expectations, it was easy to be disappointed. Marriage was exhilarating and frustrating. It revealed our “handicaps.”
Almost daily, we get the chance to discover how we come up short. With patience and love, we’re trying to mutually improve our relational game. I try to model that same attitude during my rounds, and usually, I get treated with that patience and graciousness from those with whom I play.
I’m learning that accepting the way God has made us, including our differences or “handicaps,” is important. I am fulfilling my wedding vows—for better or for worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. Play the ball where it lies and play the course as you find it is a universally accepted concept—and a great line from Happy Gilmore.
Marriage, like the rules of the USGA, requires complete honesty. We never need to lie about our handicaps. We can share openly and honestly and then, together, try to find solutions to the hazards ahead of us.
Fortunately, we start each day with a new card, focusing on our own score and striving to be the best partners we can be.
Because we all have handicaps, we need forgiveness… a mulligan or, in Michigan, a leaf rule. Marriage teaches that both success and failure are temporary. Marriage is all about being a learner and always seeking new ways to improve our relationship. I aim to be teachable. Improving is what brings satisfaction in both relationships and golf, so we keep practicing.
I heard about a guy who switched the box top of a jigsaw puzzle that he had given as a gift. Imagine the frustration of trying to put the puzzle together. Yet many people are trying to piece their marriage together without a picture of what it should look like. The “box top” of a good marriage is having a pro to instruct us. Jesus Christ wants you to want Him to be that person.
Imagine playing against someone with a perfect score every round, and as you walk away from the 18th green, he takes your card, puts his name on your card, and your name on his. That is what Jesus did for us on the cross. A perfect score.
God wants us to remember that He created marriage with a purpose. If we ask for His help, He will guide us to succeed in the only game that truly matters—the game that never ends, the game of life. Invite Him to be the expert in your marriage.
Prayer: Father, help me to be the spouse you intended me to be. Please show me where I need to improve. Help us grow closer to You and to one another. I renew my commitment to love as described in 1 Corinthians 13. Please give me courage, strength, tenacity, and joy! Amen.