Consider
it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let
perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature, complete and not
lacking anything (James 2:1-4 NIV).
The
game of golf and its parallel to life has always intrigued me. I have spent a
lot of time on the golf course watching my youngest son play. Almost without
exception, I offer the same advice to him prior to playing in any tournament,
“At the completion of each hole, behave the same; whether it’s a birdie or a
bogie and don’t let your attitude be reflective of your score.” Excellent advice...except do I practice what
I preach?
When
I have a day that feels like I’m out of bounds, in the woods, in the water, and
finally buried in the sand, do I behave the same as a day where every ball
flows beautifully down the middle of the fairway and the next shot plops
perfectly on the green? It is easy to smile when life is delivering eagles,
birdies and pars. What about the days we have to deal with bogies, double
bogies, and hazards at every turn? Sometimes I find myself in the sand trap of
thinking that as soon as my circumstances change, my attitude will also.
In
the book of James we are told how to handle life’s trials, “Consider it pure
joy, my brothers and sisters, when you face trials of many kinds, because you
know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance
finish its work so that you may be mature, complete and not lacking anything.” The next time I experience a double-bogie
day and I find myself out of bounds, in the woods, in the water, or buried in
the sand, I’m going to stop and consider that God may be trying to teach
perseverance to change me first, before he changes my circumstances.
Dear God help me place my life in
your hands and experience your joy during the trials of life.
Michele
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