What I'm Learning From Golf

Some people are naturally more positive-thinking than others. I am one of those people. I love it when things are tracking smoothly and everyone around me is getting along. People at work tease me about “Julie World” where everything is butterflies & bunnies and puppies & kittens. In Julie World, everyone does what they are supposed to do and treats each other nicely. Doesn’t it sound like a wonderful place? I live in "Julie World" most of the time, but then I can also be very hard on myself. Enter golf…

Golf is a maddening game. Yet, I want to be good at it. The crazy thing is I think I could be. I hit some beautiful shots sometimes and think, “Yeah, I’m pretty good.” Then I hit a shot that goes so far off course (literally) that I look like I’ve never played before (and I have played for 15 years). I start to beat myself up in my mind, about how bad I am. This thinking, of course, leads to more bad shots and more ridiculing of myself. A friend has recently challenged me to think about what I’m learning about myself and life, from golf.

I have a friend who is a good recreational golfer. I would love to have her disposition. As a recreational golfer, you will not usually hit great shots. Hopefully, you’ll hit shots in the general direction that you’re trying to go. My friend does not appear to be rattled by shots that are “off”. She usually just shrugs it off and goes to hit the next shot. And, she plays well; I would love to play as well as she does. Intellectually, I know that her approach is much more rational and productive. After all, golf is just a game, meant for fun. At the end of the round, the outcome is not meaningful. My livelihood is not affected, no one else cares how I played. So why do I care so much?!

I've yet to figure out all the reasons why I’m so hard on myself. I know that I’ve always hated being bad at something. I was a competitive gymnast as a teenager and demonstrated some of these perfectionistic traits back then, as well. I’m competitive more with myself than other people. And when I see that I’m capable of being good at something, I get frustrated when things don’t go well. So this year, I’m working on the mental game as well as the physical parts of playing golf. I’m wondering if “take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5) applies to my golf game. I don’t want to over-spriritualize golf, but there is value in stopping negative thinking in all aspects of our lives and remembering Whose we are.

I am Christ’s friend. “I have called you friends, for everything I learned from my Father I Have made known to you.” John 15:15

I am complete in Christ. “and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” Colossians 2:10

I am God’s workmanship. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

The list could go on and on about who I am in Christ. The trick is to remind myself of these truths when my mind is telling me the opposite. Maybe you don’t play golf, but what do you tell yourself when you make a mistake in parenting…or your job…or a friendship.

So what’s your golf…   

- julie