If I had to choose between my wife and my putter... well, I’d miss her.
Excellence
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8Over the years I have heard of coaches at professional football clubs worrying about the fact that a particular player has become a Christian, thinking that he will have lost interest in the game and lost his competitive edge. That is completely wrong.
The Christian player who understands what it is to use their talents for God’s glory should, rather, be the most committed player in the club because they have the fundamental privilege of doing it for the Lord who gave them those talents.
Making the best of the talent that you have been given involves aiming to be the best, training the hardest, pushing yourself, being most competitive player in the team. As Christian sportspeople we must be people who give of our very best in all circumstances, win, lose or draw. I will not be a quitter and will always drive to get the very best out of my performance.
One of the things I enjoy reading on Twitter is the reactions of athletes to a training session – the acknowledgement of how hard it was , the satisfaction of making it through to the end, the camaraderie of the mutual pursuit of excellence. Even the reference to the ice-bath as a friend!
The final thought is not to pursue excellency in your spiritual life as well as your sporting life but to pursue excellency in your spiritual life in and through your sporting life. Paul wrote “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him”. Colossians 3:17. And why should that not apply to training as much as anything else.