The Left Hook

Our boys love to play golf. Now there are a lot of things I love and can appreciate about this game--it is played outdoors in the fresh air, on a verdant carpet of green that my poor yard can never attain, at a relaxing pace that allows (usually) for good conversation, and it requires integrity, patience, wisdom, honesty, perseverance, flexibility, and the ability to scramble and deal with adversity. All wonderful traits that we desperately need and pray for our children to possess. Now, let me first confess, that I am a terrible, wretched golfer. My 10 year old beats me like a drum, so I simply prefer to walk along and enjoy watching my children play, reveling in God's creation and the wonder of the beauty and variety of trees and bushes and birds and animals (we've seen all kinds of animals on the golf course from deer to foxes to a bear!).

But the only exception to this rule is watching my boys play in a golf tournament. This clearly reveals my sin nature. Suddenly, I am all pulsing worry and anxiousness. I lose all sense of perspective, and life and death hangs on those missed putts and rebellious drives lost in the woods. Sins of pride vie with worry and discouragement and selfishness as I walk along and ask God to help my son... and help me! Lord, help shallow, selfish, sinful me!

Yesterday we watched our oldest son play in a college tournament (first time I had ever watched college golf--brought out my sin nature of worry to a whole new level). Right at the moment he is having trouble with his swing--specifically his drive, which is usually his strong suit. Somehow he has developed a small glitch that is causing his drive to hook to the left. And in case you are not familiar with golf, this is not a good thing. He was fighting it all day yesterday, and sometimes he would be okay and hit a good drive and things would be going along fine. And then suddenly, there it came, the dreaded left hook and off the ball sailed into the thick scrub on the left side, lost. My stomach knots up now just remembering it.

Bless his heart, he persevered and kept at it, never getting outwardly upset, and just kept trying and fighting that left hook all the way to the end of the round. But I woke early this morning and just couldn't help but think: that is me and my sinful bent. As the words of one of my very favorite hymns puts it: "Prone to wander, Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love; Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above." We are so prone to wander. So prone to leave the Lord we love and follow our own inclinations and desires that always ultimately leave us empty and broken. So prone to be going along just fine and then, wham, that left hook strikes and we wonder how on earth we got so far off track and out into the scrub and swamps of life.

But, praise God, He knew all about our left hook. And our slice. And our whiffs (for you non golfers, these are all golf terms which translate "bad shot"). He knew our tendency to wander and leave Him and His perfect plan, and so He sent the sinless Savior, not just take us out of the ditch and the scrub, not just to straighten us out, not just to show us how to live the right way (those thank the Lord He does all of these!), but also to live in us and with us and to empower us by His Spirit to be His children and walk in His ways.

My precious son will keep fighting the good fight of that left hook. But I know that I'm just one devastating left hook after another-- O, but I have a Savior and His precious and powerful name is Jesus. And with Him, I can walk today in His victory over sin. I may stumble, I may still find myself out there in the scrub sometimes, but when I turn to Him in repentance, He'll straighten me out and strengthen me and set me back on His perfect path. Give Him your left hook and watch Him, the Almighty, Omnipotent, Omniscient Lord, go to work. And to Him be all the glory.