If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:5-8, ESV)
In golf, indecision during a swing will, customarily, cost you shots. Our thoughts tend to race in moments of indecisiveness, and being torn between options often opens the door to anxiety. We have only so much time before we must pull the trigger.
So in our rush, we ask ourselves, “Do I hit an high-fading 5-iron or do I hit a low-boring 6-iron?” We go through the mental checklist that is second nature to many golfers: pin placement, wind direction, bunker position, etc. Suddenly, we find ourselves on the horns of a dilemma. A choice must be made between diverse strategies and the corresponding club to make it happen.
The late Peter Allis, in his patented Britain’s dialect, once described a player preparing to play his next shot as follows: “He seems to be of two minds.” The player’s indecision was painfully manifest, trapped as he was between the options in his head.
Single-mindedness is an orientation toward life. It prioritizes Christ Jesus in every endeavor.The movie The Last Samurai depicts a debauched soldier, Nathan Algren (Tom Cruise), accepting an offer as a mercenary to train Japanese soldiers to fight against the Samurai. As the plot unfolds, Algren rightly switches sides to fight with the Samurai. In one notable scene, a few bystanders look on as the master Samurai trains Algren in the art of the sword. The student is defeated time after time until the young Nobutada rushes in and says, “Please forgive. Too many mind.” Algren is baffled yet responds, “Too many mind?” Nobutada explains, “Mind the sword, mind the people watch, mind enemy—too many mind.” Algren’s failure lay not in his skills but in his divided mind.
Being of “two minds” not only costs us in golf or the movies; it also proves calamitous in life. When Israel vacillated, Joshua famously announced, “Choose this day whom you will serve…. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).
Scripture doesn’t use the term, but we do well to employ a word common in our time: focus. To make a determined choice and act on that choice requires focus. In the competitive golf world, it may even require intense focus. But urging another to engage spiritually in such a way can be met with a response of defeat: “With all I have going on my life, how can I set my eyes and my mind in only one direction?”
It may help to know this: Single-mindedness does not require a commitment to monasticism—divorcing ourselves from other loves and commitments. Rather, single-mindedness is an orientation toward life. It prioritizes Christ Jesus in every endeavor. That is to say, in all our doings, from “peeling a potato” to hitting 5-irons, our hearts and minds live to glorify and please God. We live coram Deo—at all times and in all endeavors before the “audience of One.”
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Dennis Darville
January 26, 2021
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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