Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. (Philippians 4:11-12, NASB)
The game of golf is a process. We learn over time, and we may learn more from the failures than the successes. It is a blessing to enjoy the game when we play good and a challenge when we play poorly—but how vital it is to learn to appreciate both the good and bad rounds we play!
I played golf yesterday with one of my good friends who also participates with me in a Links Fellowship. He quit his round on the eleventh hole yesterday; he said he could not stand to play like this anymore. I received a text from him the next morning apologizing for his behavior and asking forgiveness. He was just sick and tired of golf. He sent this text right before his tee time. Go figure!
But golf is just a game. Life is also a process, and Paul explained this process just a few verses earlier in Philippians: “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6, NASB). It is interesting to note that he started the work, and he will finish it. Our responsibility is to trust and hold on during the process.
The question we need to answer right now is this—which direction are we headed in this process? We are not people who have arrived but those who have found the road to where they want to go.
One of the Links Fellowships that I attend each week is named the “On Trail Links Fellowship.” The name was derived from one of our members who made this statement before we started: “I need a group of men to help me stay on the trail. Often I get busy and distracted, and when I look up, I notice that I have drifted off the path that God intended. I need a group of men to hold me accountable to getting back on the trail.” My response was, “Don’t feel like the Lone Ranger. We all have this tendency to wander. We all need this. Welcome to the process of life.”
We are being made whole and finishing well takes a lifetime to complete. I believe we learn as we get older to trust the process and be content in whatever the circumstances.
Bob Benson tells a wonderful story of speaking to a gathering of over 3,000 men and women at a Christian conference. He said that after his talk, a few folks came down to greet him and tell him how much he had impacted them and how marvelous his presentation was. Finally, an elderly African-American lady came forward and took his hand. He looked right at her and said, “You were such an encouragement to me while I was speaking. I saw you sitting on the end of second row and could see your head nodding agreement and your body language giving confirmation as to what I was saying.” She looked right up into his eyes and said very forthrightly, “My name is Emma Lou Baker, and I am 92 years old. I accepted Jesus as my Savior when I was 12. And boy, you ain’t seen nothing yet!”
Arrival happens and the process is completed when we get Home. And I believe we all “ain’t seen nothing yet” until we arrive at the place we have been living for.
—
Randy Wolff
December 6, 2012
Copyright 2012 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.