Using All Your Clubs

Let me begin by saying I am not a golfer. I have played a little golf over the years, and I enjoy playing golf on a beautiful spring or fall day (just not in July when it is 100 degrees and 90% humidity!). Golf is a great game for fellowship with one to three other people unless someone takes it really seriously. I like to play golf, but I rarely play, am not any good, and don't take it very seriously when I do play. My goals are closer to finishing the round without borrowing any golf balls than to shooting par.

Don’t Leave Anything in Your Bag

I do know of a saying that comes from the world of golf that I want to borrow for our spiritual lives. The expression is something to the effect of, "Don't leave anything in your bag," and conveys the idea of not holding back but using everything available to you to do your very best in the situation you find yourself in. In golf, a player has many different clubs available for use. They are carried in a golf bag and are designed to do different things and go distinct distances. A driver is different than a putter, which is different than a sand wedge. For golfers like me, who aren't very good, many clubs are rarely used. A golfer can carry 14 various clubs in their bag, but I may not use over half of them whenever I play. There are a few reasons for this, including the fact that I have more confidence in my ability to hit some clubs well than other clubs. What this ultimately means, however, is that there will be some shots that I can't hit well because I don't even try to use the club designed for that shot. If I "leave that club in my bag," I am limiting my ability to play the best I could possibly play.

This isn't a huge problem in golf because golf is just a game to be enjoyed. This same issue can be an issue for us spiritually, however. Many of us tend only to do those things that we are most comfortable doing and neglect even to try something that may take us out of our comfort zone. For example, I may work in VBS but might not consider serving at the homeless shelter. Or maybe I would teach Sunday School but would not even consider going on a cross-cultural short-term mission trip. Or perhaps I might serve on the staff of a local church but would run away from being called as a missionary. We all have the things we are comfortable with, and we should use those clubs, but we should not limit our service to them. Are there any other clubs in your bag?

Be a Good Steward

Let me say that everyone does have all of the same clubs or gifts and abilities. Some people don't need to sing solos, and some don't need to teach a class or preach. Everyone isn't called to international mission work in terms of going on the field as a missionary. We all have different giftings and different callings. However, we must be careful to be good stewards of ALL the gifts God has given us. We must not ignore the ones that we are less comfortable with. Don't let your comfort zone determine your service for Jesus. Use all of your clubs! Don't leave anything in your bag. Jesus deserves all that we have!