The things that entertain us make me laugh when I stop to think about it. Have you ever pondered about the things you enjoy? Take golf for an example. You take a stick and swing at a small ball. Hopefully, you will not only make contact with it but will get the ball to move forward (preferably even getting it off the ground, except when putting). Then you chase after the ball and do the same thing again! All that just to get the ball in a hole in the ground! Despite its simplicity, I like to golf. Granted, there is skill involved, too - something I have yet to master. But, even though I don't have much skill, I still enjoy the sport.
This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to do just that: enjoy a round of golf. Being from Minnesnowta, I was expecting my first round to be much later in the year. It was a pleasant surprise to be out on the course so early in the spring. Better still, my brother was there with me. The course was busy, the grass was still brown... and it was obvious that I've had the winter off. My ball managed to find several trenches and some water once, but, considering how the rest of my game was going, it surprisingly never hit a tree or found the sand, yet it never seemed to want to find the cup either. (Of course, it's my fault and not the ball's fault.) Even though my ball did come upon some difficult circumstances, I also had a lot of fun. There was a surprise at the end, too. I shot my personal best for the course! I wasn't even close to par, but that doesn't matter to me because it was still the best I've done.
As I was thinking, I noticed that, in a small way, the path of the golf ball represents the life of a Christian. Sometimes, when life is calm and going smoothly, it's like we are in the fairways. Other times, when life seems full of trials and difficult circumstances, it seems to be similar to the rough and other hazards my ball landed in. Yet, even through those difficult times, we can still find other things to enjoy and make us smile (even though it may seem to be something little compared to all that is happening), and we can still be content. The apostle Paul writes in Philippians 4:11, "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." Whatsoever state, in all things. Paul endured some hard circumstances (beaten and stoned, imprisoned and shipwrecked, and even executed) for preaching about Christ's death on the cross, burial, and resurrection from the grave. Yet he was content in all of those things. Paul trusted God and knew that He would always be with him. Hebrews 13:5b says, "And be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." Even upon his execution this must have brought a peace that many would deem unimaginable.
With contentment, abiding joy follows. For us Christians, we also have a peace that comes only from God. When we put aside our selfish desires to walk in God's ways, we can be sure that "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). If you have trusted in Jesus Christ to be your Saviour, you are one of "the called", and you can have the assurance that everything will work out for good. And, at the end of the trial, you just might be surprised by what blessings have come about because of it. Oh, we might not know right away like I did when I added up my scorecard, but someday we will know the reason things have happened as they did. So, whether you're battling with illness, grief, loss, or whatever your difficult circumstances may be, please be encouraged because God always keeps His promises.
