Golfers who play in the U.S. Open have their own strategies and plans to prepare for the intense competition of this prestigious tournament.
In anticipation of this year's Open at Long Island's Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, some guys played in other tournaments beforehand, some guys rested, and Rory McIlroy played golf for fun.
McIlroy arrived on June 3rd to play multiple courses in the area. He was quoted as saying, "It's been a lot of fun. It's not a bad place to spend a couple of weeks in the summer.''
Unfortunately for him, he struggled during the first round on Thursday putting up an 80 and tying the worst major round of his career. We’ll see if he bounces back today, but I can't help but wonder if his perspective on fun has changed after a bad day.
Before the tournament began McIlroy said, "For maybe five or six years, I never played fun golf...but basically it's been since my dad became a member at Seminole and I was able to go over and play a lot of golf with him that I really started to enjoy fun golf again and playing these different courses.
"I think it does put you in a different frame of mind. You're relaxed out there, and maybe that sort of bleeds in your mindset whenever you're here in a big championship…the more you can get into that mindset of being relaxed and enjoying it, the better you're going to play.''
Since yesterday was rough for most of the golfers (only four players shot under par in Round 1), McIlroy will hopefully stick to his newfound philosophy.
Anyone who has played golf knows how hard it is. Having "fun" while dealing with pressure, missed cuts, and the business side of the sport has got to be challenging - especially after hitting a few bogeys during an opening round.
We face a similar struggle to continue having "fun" following Jesus when hitting a few "bogeys" of our own and dealing with the pressures of life. Instead of relaxing in God's presence during trials, we can easily lose sight of delighting in Him.
Once we start to lose our joy and excitement for the Lord, however, we must shift our mindset and remember that our satisfaction, enjoyment, and passion are found in Him.
Psalm 16:11 (ESV) is a great reminder of this: ”You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
McIlroy can allow bogeys to steal his joy and prevent him from having fun...or can continue to delight in the game of golf and make the most of his situation.
Likewise, there is plenty in life that takes away our enjoyment, but we must remain mindful of the wonderful promise in Psalm 37:4 (ESV): "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”
When our fulfillment and satisfaction are found in Jesus, our hearts become aligned to do His will and our desires become focused on pleasing Him. By delighting in the Lord, we can battle life's bogeys with peace.
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can unpack that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I know that life with You is filled with true joy, fun, and genuine pleasure. I pray that I would delight in You and my heart would find satisfaction in You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
Kommentare