Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him. (Colossians 2:6, ESV)
Recently, I talked to a former player who called after a round to process her day and share some frustrations. It wasn’t merely the day that had her frustrated, but the overall sense that she had not been shooting the scores she knew she was capable of for the last couple of months. Know the feeling?
We chatted briefly and she shared about the windy conditions, hitting fairways but not greens and coming up short as her miss. As a player with a high ball flight, it made sense that she would come up short, even if she hit it solid, given the windy conditions. She felt good about her swing, putting stroke and chipping, but when she thought back about her shot pattern, she was able to self-diagnose and practice lower trajectory shots and make a mental note to take more club.
Good golfers know their games well and are able to quickly adjust to find a way to get it done.
Being aware of patterns in your golf game is of value, and so is realizing patterns in your life—at work, in relationships, physically and spiritually. Patterns are hard to break as they are ingrained in us, many times before we ever learned they were in us. We see and know this all too well when we readily look at our friends and their family patterns or better yet our own family patterns.
Take inventory on the patterns in your own life. Which ones are worth keeping and which ones would you be better served to break?We take note of our family and friends’ influence on our lives, but may I suggest that the most powerful pattern maker won’t come from reading a great self-help book on being a better you. It will come from feasting on God’s Word and the truths and patterns we see in it. Yes, be proactive and be aware of your own tendencies and proclivities, but don’t stop there. Take those thoughts, struggles, heartaches, and joys, and bring them all to him. What is true? What is a lie? Feed your heart and mind with the truth of who and what God says about you.
Overwhelmed? Stop. Journal, pray. He hears you. Talk with a friend about what you are reading or perhaps read through the same book and then discuss it together.
Personally, the most comforting place for me to spend time is in the book of Psalms. I constantly see reminders of God’s graciousness, faithfulness, mercy, justice, his unfailing love, deliverance, how he is my shield, rock, refuge, anchor, help, and sustainer. The prayers are honest; the writers seem to have amazing insight into the ways my mind operates, with its highs and lows and everything in between.
In all situations and circumstances, the pattern stays the same—come to the Lord, spend time in his presence, drink deeply from God’s Word, and talk to him.
I encourage you to take inventory on the patterns in your own life. Which ones are worth keeping and which ones would you be better served to break? May God grant us the wisdom to know and the Spirit give us the strength to follow through.
—
Aimee Neff
February 21, 2019
Copyright 2019 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.