"Lessons From The Sand Trap!"

One of my favorite things to do is play golf.  I'll admit, I am by no means a pro, or even a good golfer, yet I enjoy it!  For me there is nothing more relaxing then being outside, surrounded by the beauty of God's creation, and trying to knock the snot out of a tiny white ball with a long piece of metal.

I had the unique opportunity this year to attend both a Practice Round and Tournament Day of the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia.  Wow!  Talk about the beauty of God's creation!  I was so caught up in the beauty that I even took a picture of the grass.

One of the weakest parts of my game is bunker shots.  If I end up in the bunker, you might as well give me a +12 on the hole cause I am going to hack at the ball repeated times like a housewife trying to kill a mouse in the kitchen with a broom!

I was amazed at the Masters watching the ease and the skill of the players who could intricately play the ball from the bunker many times getting it within a few inches or feet and sometimes right into the hole!

I started to think about how bunkers not only appear on the golf course, but in our every day lives.

For me there is no greater feeling then hitting that "Perfect" drive.  You know the one I'm talking about, where you just cream the ball down the fairway dead straight like it was what you always do.

But the worse feeling is after you creamed that drive, getting all the way down the fairway only to find that your enormous drive has rolled right into a fairway bunker.

Sometimes in life we end up in "bunkers."  Sometimes you feel like you have done something amazing or on track to achieve something you have been working on for a long time, only to find yourself stuck.

² He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
   out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
   and gave me a firm place to stand.
³ He put a new song in my mouth,
   a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the LORD
   and put their trust in him. 

(Psalm 40:2-3) 

As Christians we don't have to be in despair when we find ourselves in bunkers, water hazords or woods.  Because we are walking the course of our lives with the Holy Spirit as our caddy.  No matter what hazardous situation you find yourself in, remember that we serve a God who created it all and that is in full control of every situation.  Who knows, you just may play that ball out of the bunker and right into the hole...

...Just remember to give God all the glory!'