Almost Falling...

Machines that Almost Fall Over from Michael Kontopoulos on Vimeo.

Have you ever felt like this... one more hit and your going over... just barely holding on? It is interesting how people describe their lives sometimes... "Just keeping it between the ditches," "I'm barely here, but I'm here," "I got one foot in the grave and the other foot on a banana peel!"

I felt that way recently on a golf course in the Bahamas when my wife and I attended her sister’s wedding. I was honored to be asked to play in my new brother-in-laws foursome…needless to say I was trying to make a good impression. And when the "guys" (most were from New York so they know how to verbally jack your jaw) found out I was providing the homily for the wedding they were certain I could do something about the torrential downpour that hit us at the 6th hole. They were pretty convinced I could mend their spiritual confusion and pray their putts in. Even though we were all having a good time and I was holding my own with witty responses to their good-natured jabbing… I wanted to be a good role model for the Lord and I wanted to play well too. The playing well was not necessarily happening for me. I was playing ok but I wanted more! So when I hit a nearly perfect little drive down the middle of the fairway that ended up with half of my ball sticking out of the water… I looked heaven-ward (and we all know that means, “Thanks a lot God!!!”) Now all I had to do, since the ball was still playable, was get it out of the water, carry the large pool and the large trees that guarded the green and land it on said green that was a bit small to say the least. Big sigh…

Life is kinda like that sometimes. I didn’t see the beauty around me, the fact that it had stopped raining, my trip (and golf) were paid for, my wife and I had this time alone without our two small boys in tow (because my fantastic, wonderful sister was keeping them… and yes, I’m sending her this blog), I had the health to actually hit the ball… on and on it goes… things I could have been thankful for. But I wanted more. Such is my life... always wanting more.

So, with all eyes on me, I swung my club back and did the only two things I know to do in golf… pray and close my eyes! The ball came out perfectly, cleared the body of water, ricocheted through the trees and landed two feet from the hole… just as I had planned.

Too often we forget that we have been given everything we need in Christ… “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.” Romans 8:10-12 How powerful we can be if we remember what we already have!

Peace, troy

P.S. I missed the #@$#% putt.