January 18-2019

WHY I PLAY GOLF

Living in Arizona I have had many opportunities to visit the Grand Canyon as well as Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. All three provided me with a unique observation that I had failed to realize for the longest time. I began to realize that the jutting rock formations and protruding obelisks were rough and ragged in appearance. None of them had rectangular, squared off and highly polished, perfectly level tops like a fine piece of furniture created by humans. But these gifts of God's creation were declared “good” in God's sight.

So it began to make sense to me that I was attracted to the game of golf. Unlike a team sport played on a perfectly measured, highly polished floor or perfectly groomed grass field, when I play golf I am playing on turf that God designed, complete with uphills, downhills, small ponds, etc., the earth that God created. Also I can play against my own self-challenging me to play better than the time before.

Unlike some sport challenges, I am not playing against a clock but playing to finish the game in the best way I can, much like life. As I walk through my life, I have good shots and bad shots, trying to improve on the less spectacular shots I made and hopefully learned from them.

So as I reflect on the jutting rock formations of nature, it occurred to me that perhaps, in God's sight, we are perfect in our imperfections. This makes sense since it is through these imperfections that we are drawn to God for support, comfort, guidance and healing. They act like magnets to draw us to the place of dependence on the one true Power that can rescue us in our trials and challenges. I praise God for the “magnets” of our imperfections.

January 17, 2019

And God saw everything the He had made and behold, it was very good... Genesis 1:31

While I don't consider myself to have a green thumb or an expert on gardening, I do enjoy my small planter and border flower gardens. I try to keep them free of weeds and watered according to the needs I read about on how to maintain them. It occurred to me one day as I saw the beginnings of some blooms on the angelonia I had planted that I was given a gift of watching God in the creating process.

I have, for most of my life, thanked God for the things He has created such as the universe, the earth and it's plants and animals, always in a past, finished mentality. Now, as I watched my plants blooming, I realized that God is still creating.

I am finding new blessings when I see a colorful sunset in the west, a falling star, a lunar eclipse, a healing within a troubled family, a new start resulting from forgiveness, a new life springing from recovery from an addiction, a multitude of blessings around me as His creation continues. I also realize that each of us has been given a gift to be a part of that creative effort in our ability to make music, poetry, paintings and sculptures, not to mention new life in those we witness to and share our God and what He has done in our lives And as God spoke in Genesis, “It is very good!”

January 16, 2019

ON PRAYER:

Dear Reader ~ As I approach this new venture in an attempt to share some of my spiritual insights through living, as well as the insights of others who share their experiences with me, I lean on God for guidance. I have chosen prayer as a starting point in sharing my experiences and slow growth in understanding its awesome power.

Like so many, for years I approached prayer as a last resort when faced with dilemmas that seemed to be overwhelming, viewing God's role in my life as a rescuer. I couldn't have been more wrong in this assumption. I discovered in moments of testing prayers power that God was listening and was not too busy to be concerned with my trivial matters. I began trusting Him in small, insignificant challenges. When I couldn't find my keys I would pray “God, I don't know where they are, but You do. Could you show me?” Usually within 15 or 20 minutes I would stumble upon them.

Next I had to learn to be thankful for answers, no matter how small His guidance might appear to me. I am thankful that such a powerful God can still address my trivial requests when I consider the multitude of major issues others have laid at His throne.

I am reminded of a true story I heard about a few years ago. There was a pastor in a church who was known for his trust and reliance on God and was quite revered because of his trusting and his walk with God. A young man came to him with a multitude of problems and laid them out to the pastor. When he finished he asked the pastor, “What should I do?” The pastor replied, “You should pray about it.” The young man said, “I have” to which the pastor replied, “Then what's the problem?”

I pray that in my life I can develop that deep of a trust in God's guidance and wisdom. I have learned over time that God rarely answers my prayers in a manner that I would expect or hope for, but rather in the best way possible. In many instances I have looked in hindsight at the situation and smile when I realize that my expectations would have created further problems and that God's solution was the correct one. I also have come to realize that the Apostle John was on target when he advised us to give thanks for whatever solution is on its was and not wait until the answer is realized. The answer will com.