Life on the Golf Course and The Shot Before Us

Phil Mickelson at Oak Hill East Course, 11th Hole, during 2013 PGA Practice Round

The game of golf can be a useful life teacher.  My son-in-law and I attended a practice round of the 2013 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club's East Course.  On the par 3 11th hole we watched as Phil Mickelson gave the other golfers in his practice round foursome (his students) a lesson in hitting out of the thick rough that surrounds this expansive green and engulfed the ball which is not visible in this view.  I remember him explaining in great detail, then demonstrating the need for the golfer to sweep the club through the thick grass to loft the ball onto the green.  Technique is essential for success in the game of golf.

During this COVID-19 pandemic, the combination of reduced business related travel, including the daily one hour round trip to the office, has opened up more time to enjoy friends, the outdoors, and the challenges of golf.  As all golfers know, it is a game where being able to consistently execute the proper technique is the key to a more enjoyable round.  The reality of golf, for me, is quite different.  Other than the tee box, where all golfers begin a hole with equal opportunity, our second, third and so on shots are often made from many degrees of challenging locations on the course.  But the shot we have from those locations is the shot before us, the shot that we need a strategy for and the shot we need to execute.

Golf is a mentally challenging game, where I find myself constantly needing to forget about the last shot and the last hole to focus on the shot before me.  In yesterday's golf round I found myself in many locations on the course that I didn't want to be, but my ball was in the field of play and if I was going to follow the rules of the game I needed to hit my next shot from that spot.  I couldn't change the tee shot that drifted left on a dogleg par 4 hole, so I took the suggestion of one of my golf partners and played down the left side.  Playing the hole in that manner required that I hit my second shot over some trees, so I played my second shot with the 5 wood, instead of the 3 wood, to gain loft at the expense of distance.  On a couple of other holes I needed to hit a low shot to avoid tree branches, so I played a long iron, addressed the ball with my front foot behind the ball, and did not follow through with a full swing, all to keep the ball low.  In another spot where there was too much trouble around to do too much of anything, I hit a wedge to position me for a makeable approach shot to the green.

Navigating life with the choices we now have in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic is a little bit different for each one of us, but greatly different than it was prior to the pandemic.  Just like life on the golf course, it does no good to live in the "what might have been" but rather in the "what can be".  So dispite not having the choices before us in life that we would prefer to have, with sincere prayer and with the Holy Spirit's guiding, believers can still have a path forward for whatever shot we have before us.

Where Was George Floyd's Good Samaritan?

This painting, Le Bon Samaritain, by Aime Morot touched me in a deep way when we saw it in a Paris, France art gallery in 2018.  I've written about it here: https://restorationprofiles.blogspot.com/2019/11/lord-who-is-my-neighbor.html .  This passage, from Luke 10:25-37, is a story Jesus told to teach the principle "Who is my neighbor?" 

Those familiar with George Floyd's work in Houston's Third Ward, would say that he lived the gospel, and that he was a Good Samaritan in his neighborhood.  Christianity Today has written a touching article describing his work here:  https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2020/may/george-floyd-ministry-houston-third-ward-church.html 

Sadly, when George Floyd needed a Good Samaritan there was none for him.  There was a policeman-murderer, three policeman-murderer-enablers, somebody there to video tape his murder, and someone there who cried out to the police to stop.  But nobody rescued George Floyd.  Nobody disadvantaged themselves or risked their own well being to help him.  We hoped that the Minneapolis Police Department, if they suspected that he was using a counterfeit $20 bill and possibly on drugs, would at least have taken him into custody in a gentle manner that would have spared his life.  We have a right to expect more of the policemen who murdered him.   

Since no one can now be a neighbor to George Floyd, who is the neighbor who I can help and will I have the heart and eyes to see them?  Will that opportunity to be a neighbor to someone in need come overtly with only a moment's notice?  Will that opportunity be simmering under my nose and will I wake up and do something about it?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

In the Grip of Corona Virus: Choosing Fear or Faith

(I welcome guest blogger, a dear friend and brother in the faith, Mike Mazzochetti who shares the following blog post.)

We are all mindful of the Coronavirus pandemic.

As I probe my mind I wonder what is happening. What fills our minds?

Information from many sources bombards us... Internet, news, TV, radio, articles, constant talk. How do we manage it?  What filters do we employ, if any?

We seek some level of normalcy by a modified adaptation of our jobs, online schooling, reading, home projects, hobbies, prayer, and devotions. As social beings how do we interact even in limited ways? Are Zoom sessions enough?

How are we coping? We can fill our minds, right? But with what and how? 

It is our experience that negativity creeps and seeps in, almost by osmosis, potentially flooding our minds.

What is it about bad news? Not only a tragedy, but a negative review at a restaurant is also disturbing! Marketing studies have traditionally shown that a poor grade travels faster and farther with more frequency than a good report, actually quite skewed. Why is that? Because it feeds our insecurities, renders our doubts, and instills deep fear. We become so preoccupied and overwhelmed!

A strategy of positives that outweigh the negatives can be beneficial. However, a positive position requires a proactive approach to counter the passive intrusion of negativity.

Find what can bolster us. Exercise, rest, and eating right are obvious, of course. A walk in the neighborhood, a hike in the woods, or a bike ride during warmer weather can alleviate our stress.

That is a start but not enough though to rejuvenate! Left unchecked fear grips us, so we have to keep our guard up and push forward. Our minds need positive thoughts as an antidote to gain optimism over our fears.

We are intelligent beings and can be properly informed. We can prepare and be safe by protecting ourselves. But as social beings we also need to protect others too. We can help others by simply being present to them. Attending to others takes our mind off ourselves. Doubt and fear then dissipate when we are with others, freeing us from these torments.

Prayer is best! Why? Because it submits ourselves to a higher being, our God, who is in control. We begin by telling God our concerns and fears. As we ease into resting in the arms of our Lord, we know in whom we can trust.  We can then believe with a faith that transcends all else - our fears included!

In reality we have to live this out. We are in the midst of a pandemic with sickness and death, job loss and earnings gone. We suffer in mind, body, and livelihood. What can we do then that enlivens us?

• Be smart when seeing others, shopping, or working - employing social distancing, wearing suitable masks, and washing your hands before entering new places or returning home.
  

•  If elderly or of compromised health do your best to avoid physical presence with others, especially as you arrange for those who can help you. Stay-at-home  orders are especially stifling for these most vulnerable as being home bound is boring and depressing, but despite this, be cheerful.
  

• Turn off the TV and hear the news every other day. Especially keep from dwelling on isolated sensational news reports that steal your attention.
  

• Put information in perspective - yes, people get sick and die. Not all news is grim if projections are as expected across many categories of living and dying.
  

• Change the headlines in your minds to positive outlooks: '94% of all people survive Covid-19, most with little or no symptoms". Anyone hear that one on a broadcast?!
  

• We are all trying to figure this out. We are in uncharted waters. Let leadership ideas unfold as we resist early judgement and criticism.
  

Political, economic, and medical leaders differ in approach: some are optimistic about the outcomes trying to encourage; others restrict movement and warn of caution. Either way they are interpreting most of the same facts, so both have merit and balance each other. 

• Pray for those who suffer physically and financially; calm and encourage those who worry.
  

• Always praise God for he is worthy and thank him in all things.

• Have Faith, not fear. Hope in the God who promises to protect us and the Son of God who died to redeem us.
  

• Most importantly, Love God and others as yourself. Scripture says: "Perfect love casts out all fear!"
  

There is a hopeful message we see around us: "We will get through this together!" Let us believe that. And as Christians, we ask God for the grace to respond to others with help for their physical and material needs while promoting peace for their souls.

One more thing to help us: God blesses us with the friendship of the Holy Spirit that binds us together.

by Michael Mazzochetti