Thinking "My95" . . . Watching the Masters

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24)

Confession time . . . again. I’m thinking about “my95” and trying to write a devotional while watching the final round of the Masters. Unless you’re an avid golfer, that doesn’t sound very spiritual. If you are an avid golfer, watching the final round is simply a continuation of Sunday morning worship. It’s akin to prayer.

I’m not a golfer. “You never watch golf,” my wife observed with barely disguised puzzlement. She’s right. But for some reason, I enjoy watching this. It’s not a spiritual experience for me, but there’s a spirituality of golf just as there is of everything else, including whatever you have planned for this day.

Today you’ll have to make judgments about how to best do what you’ve been given to do. You’ll look at the contour of the land, the break in the green. You’ll discern what’s going on around you, see the movement of the wind, read people, listen to inflections of voice, choose your words.

You’ll make some moves that don’t go so well and then move on to the next thing, learning from what didn’t go right. You’ll make your best shot knowing that ultimately you can’t control the flight of the ball. You’ll focus and think and exert your best energies, and in all of that perhaps you’ll pray – even if briefly.

Many of us will never pick up a club, but there’s plenty we share in common with the names on the leader board. Right now as I watch the wind is playing havoc with some of the shots being made. Jesus spoke of the Spirit as wind. Every day we enter the world and pay attention to the movements of that wind, the work of the Spirit.

Earlier today I saw a brief interview with Gary Player in which he was reflecting on his 1978 Masters victory. Remembering that 1978 win and his record of playing in 51 Masters Tournaments, Player used a word that’s basic to the language of faith. He spoke of gratitude. Player spoke of the 1978 victory as a temporary trust, something given to him for a time. His response: gratitude.

Gratitude is a basic spiritual discipline that sanctifies – makes holy – the most ordinary of our days.

Take a moment and think through the day, and as you do so remind yourself that this day has been entrusted to you. Give thanks for the day, not only as it starts but as it unfolds. Give thanks for wide fairways and nasty water hazards. This is the day the Lord has made. Rejoice and be glad in it.

Prayer:
As the day wears on, O God, my thankfulness often wears out. Remind me that the tasks of this day are entrusted to me as a gift. Help me to live this day well, with gladness and gratitude, bringing you honor in all things. Amen.