Thoughts of God from the Golf Course by K. Denise Holmberg

Keep Your Head Down
“Darn, I looked up,” I said with a heavy sigh.

“Keep your head down. I’ll watch the ball for you,” my husband said for the millionth time.
It's a frequent conversation we have on the golf course.
And, if you golf, you've heard those words a million times too.

If you look up too early and turn your head toward the target, your clubface opens through impact.
The result: you’re still standing too close to the ball after you hit it. 
It’s one of the two hardest things new golfers fight to overcome.
It Doesn't Need Our Help
The other is 'helping the ball along'.
The physics of golf require you hit down on the ball to make it go up. 
Yep. 
It's counterintuitive to most of us, so we try to help the ball along and swing upwards. 
That's called topping the ball and the outcome is disappointing.
We have to learn to trust the club to do what it’s suppose to do by keeping our head down and not helping it along. 
Keep Your Eye On The Ball
And we must keep our eye on the ball.
Because where we focus has significant impact.
 It matters.
 I look up too early because I'm anxious to see if it’s all going the way I planned.
I swing upwards to help the ball because I'm not trusting that hitting down will make it go up.
I take my eye off the ball because I lose focus.
I thought about this the other day after I topped the ball and was trying to get out of one of those sandboxes they put in front of the green. 
I realized it was like that in my relationship with God too.
I often look up too early, anxiously wanting to see if he’s going to do what I want him to do.
I try to help him along because it is counterintuitive to me to let my life go and leave it in his hands, trusting that he loves me and wants the best for me
I considered how important it is to keep our head down in prayer or in his Word.

Because Where We Focus Matters.
I’ve heard it said that there isn’t much excuse for not keeping your eye on the ball in golf. After all, it’s sitting completely still and in front of you.
There isn’t much excuse for me to not keep my eye on God. And it’s usually in complete stillness when I realize he’s always right there in front of me.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (Proverb 3:5-6 NKJV)
Blessings!

Denise

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