Practicing What You Preach

As a parent and grandparent it is easy to hand out advise to our children and grandchildren. I am discovering that when I dish it out, I need to heed the advice I have given!

Last summer, I took my grandson to play 9 holes of golf. He was 6 years old and had been going to golf camp. As we were golfing...he looks at me and tells me how relaxing it is to golf. Now some of you are thinking, That is crazy! A few holes later, he threw the golf club because he didn't like how he hit the ball.

We stopped for a conversation... "We all get frustrated when we don't do well. You are just learning this sport and it take time to learn to play well. We never throw a golf club and If it happens again, your golf clubs will be put away for two weeks." "Yes, Lovie" he said. We moved to the next hole and enjoyed the rest of the game. He was able to shake it off and having a good time.

I have been struggling in my golf game lately, so I got some advise from my golf teacher. When I left my lesson, my drives were going further and I was doing better with my hybrid clubs. I was self-confident knowing that the next trip to the golf club would be awesome!

Well not so much!

It's like the driving range. You warm up and all is great...you are feeling pretty good about the day until you drive the first ball on the course. I had so many things to remember...new grip..lean left...open the club face...stretch and twist (the hardest at my age)...last, but not least...keep your eye on the ball! Five holes later, I had lost 4 balls to water, my drives were shorter than ever before and I was not a happy camper! Mark tried to make helpful suggestions...I really didn't want to hear his advice!

Well those chickens came home to roost!

I was just like my grandson...mad as could be. I didn't throw my club, but I sure hit it on the ground hard when I made a poor hit. I needed to practice what I preached.

Reflection:

Becoming skilled at anything takes time and practice. To be honest, I didn't want to look foolish on the course with the more seasoned golfers behind me. I would love to look like I had been playing for years, but that would require a lifetime and I have other interests to pursue.

Mark has a coffee cup that says: "Stay Calm and Carry On"...I think that slogan may need to become a part of my golf/life strategy. We all know that getting irritated and frustrated in any part of life only makes the situation worse not better. That said in order to play our game of life...with or without Covid-19 maybe Stay Calm and Carry On can bring more joy in what we do as well as portray a kinder, happier person to everyone around us.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Galatians 5:22-23