I went to the driving range after not having played golf for about six months. My main goal was to not hurt myself and try to stir up some muscle memory so I could resume playing real golf on a real course. I began by working on my fundamentals.
There a few basics needed to have a good golf swing. These include, your grip, stance, and alignment…all critical before you even hit the ball.
So I started by checking my grip. If your grip is too tight you lose flexibility and power. You add stress and tension, which makes everything else more stiff and forced. Too loose of a grip and you will lose the club. Grip pressure should be light, but firm enough to hang on for maximum swing speed.
Next I checked my stance, my posture… my position relative to the ball. Again it is important not to stand too tall, and you don’t want to be stooped over either. The key is to be on balance, and so you find a posture that allows you to remain in control throughout the swing.
Then I checked my alignment, which on this day, was off by more than a little bit. I checked my feet, hips, and shoulders…then lastly my swing path, to make sure I was hitting the ball at what I was aiming at, and not just spraying it all over.
As I hit balls, making small adjustments with each series of swings, I was struck by the spiritual lessons involved. How is my grip? My understanding of what I believe. Am I holding on so tight to dogmatic positions that I am not flexible? Am I so legalistic that I am robbing the Holy Spirit of opportunities to bring forth life and demonstrate His power? Is my “grip pressure” causing undue tension and stress in relationships or in my testimony?
As long as I keep the necessary points of contact, who Jesus is, what our condition was, what Jesus did about it, and what we are supposed to do until He returns, I can relax and “free up” my interactions with believers and non-believers alike.
When I check my stance, I am looking for areas of pride that cause me to stand too tall. Then I look for areas of low self-esteem (also a form of pride) where I position myself in a lower or lesser state than what God says about me. I check until I find balance, that place where I stand as a child of God, a prince, a warrior. But I acknowledge that all that I am, or hope to be, it is because of His grace and NOT because of me.
Finally I check my alignment. Am I looking in the right direction? Do I have the right target? Am I “on plane” with God’s will for my life at this time? Are the swings I am making (the things I do) producing the shot I want (the will of God for my life)? If not, I need to make adjustments until they are, and I create new muscle memory. Pros do this every day.
We all could use a little “range time” to check our grip, stance, and alignment. To practice and make sure we are sound in our fundamentals and creating good spiritual muscle memory. See you on the range…
Everyday God... 