I few years ago, I was asked to speak at a weekend men’s retreat. I got to spend time with a group of men from a church in Bentonville, Arkansas. We talked about priorities; we discussed discouragement. The group discussion returned several times to an illustration I use to describe our Christian lives.
I begin by admitting I am not a golfer. I have played a few rounds, I watch some golf on TV, but I am far from avid–as a fan or as a player. This I understand, however. In golf, one good shot does not mean that you are suddenly a better golfer, and one bad shot does not make you a worse golfer. On any given day, you are the golfer you are, with strengths and weaknesses, good shots and bad.
Christianity is not to be measured by the successes or failures of one day. Christian living is a process. I am not a better preacher when I preach an especially good sermon; I am not a worse preacher when the words refuse to come. I am the preacher I am, involved in a process of growing and maturing. Christian living is a journey. Success comes with practice and the development of habits. Am I farther along today than I was yesterday? Am I growing? That is the question!