For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
“We may hear a [certain] saying a thousand times, and find in it nothing but mystification and unreason; the thousandth-and-first time…we suddenly know it to be a statement of inexorable fact.” The Mind of the Maker Dorothy Sayers
It is funny (or odd) how a piece of instruction about golf can fall on relatively deaf ears at one time in our lives and then, suddenly, become tremendously meaningful at another, later time.
Why is it that my being advised to focus on rhythm, have my swing go from in to out, think of where I want a chip to land, or visualize the route of a putt, goes in one ear and pretty quickly out the other?
And why is it, then, perhaps a day, month, year, or decade later, it makes perfect sense and becomes a cornerstone to vast improvement in that particular aspect of my game? The answer for me (and for most people): ‘I was not ready to truly hear it back then.’
The same holds true for our walk as Christians. It is amazing how many people advocate reading the Bible regularly. Not only that, but the Bible also advocates it. Examples include: Matthew 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:3, Psalm 119:105, Colossians 3:16, Romans 15:4, Matthew 7:24, and John 8:32.
Why do I read and mostly ignore the exact same passage at one time in my life but find it transformative at another? The answer, as above: ‘I was not ready to truly hear it back then.’
Vince Lombardi, the legendary football coach for the Green Bay Packers, is credited with: ‘Perfect practice makes practice perfect.’ In terms of the Bible, it is not just a matter of reading an excerpt, a chapter, or a book; it is a matter of immersing oneself in that particular reading.
If we do that, we allow our life experiences to come into play, and we can maximize and apply what we are reading. Because we have had additional life experiences since the last time that we read this particular section of the Bible, it is only to be expected that our understanding and application will be different, deeper, and richer.
In many ways, our walk with the Lord and our golf game share similarities. In our walk with the Lord, each step is a one-and-only. If we combine our experiences with God’s guidance, we can hit the right shot, so to speak.
When it comes to golf, the course, the hole, the lie, the weather, and other elements make each shot a once-in-a-lifetime event. If we combine our practice with adjustments for the moment, we stand the best chance of making a successful shot.
There are two conclusions suggested by this reflection. One, continue (or, if necessary, begin) your consistent reading of the Word. Do not allow it to become a low-level priority; make it a daily ritual. Two, allow your ever-developing life experiences to help you apply what you read to how you live.
Prayer: Lord, please give me the perseverance and focus to maximize what I read during my daily devotions and meaningfully apply it in the world I touch.