Behold The Golfer

By Gracie Prior

He has an important job to do. He must have vision and determination. He is out to drive a ball a long way and eventually have it end up at a designated destination – the hole.
For this he needs special clothing. His helmet is a jaunty golf hat. He needs to be shod with shoes that give him grip and traction so he doesn’t slip on the way.
He needs a breastplate, an argyle vest will do. His armor is bag of tools of the trade and his sword, a dandy golf club gleaming in the sun.

It’s important for our golfer to have a caddy, a sort of mentor who helps him make wise decisions. God can take over this role. He knows the course very well. He sent His Son to master it. He carries the bag and the baggage if the golfer will let him. The caddy wants the golfer to focus on the game plan.

Now the golfer is ready and the first thing he needs to do is address the ball. He is acknowledging the course of action. He takes a practice swing. He wants to make sure he knows the plan. He needs a driver. He can’t do the job alone. His head is down. He has a single eye. Then he hits the ball and follows through. That is where the golfer can win or lose. If he doesn’t follow through, the whole shot could be wasted. The ball has loft and flies straight down the fairway. Our golfer doesn’t want the ball to go into the rough. If he gets in the sand trap, he needs to use a wedge. That means pressure. It’s better to stay on the fairway. To stay out of the woods, the golfer can ask advice from the caddy.

Now he’s going to chip on the green. He needs loft. This is not the time to be rolling in the dirt. Now our golfer is on the green! Just when he thinks he’s almost home, the rules change. He uses a putter. Boy it seems slow up here. He messes up as if he were a beginner. It’s only when he looks back down the fairway that he sees how far he’s come. He can’t even see the T.
The golfer should relax and realize that if he weren’t doing well, he wouldn’t be on the green. He needs to let the caddy help him. He looks at all the angles, even if it means getting down and dirty. Wasn’t it glorious teeing off? No matter, he has a job to finish.

The golfer can’t afford a false move now. He doesn’t want to roll backwards. He must move purposefully forward in the direction of the goal. Small movements are important now. The goal is in sight. He is nervous, but the caddy is smiling. Someone raises the flag. The moment has come. He pops it in the hole. Victory! And that’s par for the course of life.