And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common. (Acts 2:44, NASB)
We aren’t expected to go it alone. God gives us many examples of encouragement, brotherhood, sisterhood, healing, praying together, sharing meals together, and in general living life with others. We were made for relationships. Certainly, time to yourself can be nice and peaceful, but imagine your entire life without relationships.
By definition, golf is an individual sport. Unlike tennis, we don’t need a friend to go play a few holes. We can practice by ourselves, walk nine holes by ourselves. In this way, golf fits the same category as bowling. However, I think we would nearly all agree that both games are more fun when we play them with others.
In golf, we often talk of three others—the friends in our regular foursome. My dad had several regular foursomes. These included Chet, Jim, Don, and Kenny. Through the years, golf consistently brought them together, and they certainly witnessed each other’s highs and lows on the course.
In the game of life, surround yourself with friends and mentors to share stories, encouragement, meals, and the Word.Some of you played high school or college golf. Here the team around you is even bigger. These teammates pull for you, because your success depends on one another. And even on days when you aren’t very good together and walk away having been whooped, you share stories from your rounds, and you can laugh through the tears.
One more example, this time from the professional ranks. A current trend on tour is to have a team around the player—the caddie, swing coach, sports psychologist, trainer, and agent. If the player can afford it, I think it is a great idea. Why go it alone? All those team members encourage a player through the long season out there. Beyond these fellow “gamers,” there are weekly tour chapels. I guess you could say these are the tours’ version of a Links Fellowship, where relationships are built and encouragement from Scripture fills the evening.
Recent studies in discipleship tell us that those who grow most in their faith are those regularly plugged in with others. Bible reading tops the list, but consistent worship service attendance and small group connection are the next biggest factors in feeding spiritual development. Other people can really help you. And yes, you can really help them.
With your golf game, take a tip from the best players in the world. Find someone you can trust to watch your swing and listen to a play-by-play of all 18 holes you just played. In the game of life, surround yourself with friends and mentors to share stories, encouragement, meals, and the Word. Why go it alone?
—
Bill Euler
March 20, 2019
Copyright 2019 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.