Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand. The seven lamps represent the eyes of the Lord that search all around the world. (Zechariah 4: 10, NLT)
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. (2 Chronicles 16:9, ESV)
Placing a golf club into a kid’s hands for the first time can be magical. Most of you remember the first time you “teed it up.” If not, you probably recall the first set of clubs your parents gave you. If neither memory is readily available, you might remember that “sawed off” club your grandad placed in your smallish hands.
There is a slight chance that your beginnings in golf are a tad foggy now. However, you may vaguely recall some of the early days, walking the fairways with your dad or friends. No doubt you have some fond memories of taking your first lesson from your club professional.
Somewhere in the archives of your memory bank, you have stored some outstanding and tragic moments from the earliest days of dragging that golf bag around eighteen holes in the “dog days of summer.” Some of us vividly remember our first birdie. Some are still trying to forget their first “quad.”
If you were like most kids, you couldn’t get enough— Eighteen in the morning – shove something down for lunch – and back at it for another eighteen in the afternoon. There was never enough sunlight. There was always more golf to be played.
Unless you were like PGA Tour Lifetime Member Danny Edwards, you probably didn’t shoot 43 on your first nine holes. More than likely, you were somewhere north of that number. But, the thrill of swinging at that little white ball, advancing it down the fairway, and finally hearing it fall into the cup can still be remembered, even if only faintly.
To “begin” anything, especially golf, is filled with a sense of adventure. The dreams of those earliest moments of getting better are vivid. As a kid, the goal of becoming a professional golfer is never far away. Even after many mediocre rounds, dreams of playing at a higher level persist.
Somewhere between beginning this game and where you find yourself now are many stories of ups and downs, wins and losses, successes and failures, unparalleled highs and inexpressible lows.
When we began this golf adventure, rarely, if ever, did we know where the journey would take us. Never in a million years could we have anticipated the fulfillment and disillusionments that would follow.
Nevertheless, knowing what we know now and being given a chance to do it all over again, most of us would jump in with the same enthusiasm we had when we first began.
When we began this faith journey, we couldn’t have imagined the highs or the lows that awaited us. For many, the naivete of our spiritual youth anticipated a never-ending rise to ever-greater joy. In our spiritual adolescence, we assumed that life would be all “kicks and giggles.” As it turns out, the Father had a different plan.
While it is true that the spiritual life of following Christ is filled with inexpressible joy, we are quickly disabused of our fantasies that life is supposed to be one long joy ride. In his characteristic wisdom, C.S. Lewis captured it best when he writes, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”
Between the beginning and the end of our faith journey, we will encounter exhilarating highs and debilitating lows. Yet, we are comforted and strengthened by knowing his eyes search the world for those who are his. Or, as the song says, “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches over me.”
Prayer: Father, teach us to whistle in the dark, always knowing you are watching over us.