0518 day 21 – mulligan

Many of my friends know that I’m not a golfer. It’s not due to a lack of interest, just a lack of talent. When asked, I usually say “my best score was a 107 ...” to which most people reply “Well, that’s not bad” and then I’ll finish the sentence “ .... on a par-3 course.” Then, they get a glassy look in their eyes and say a simple “Oh.”

A long time ago, a friend found out that my dad’s golf clubs fit me very well, so he suggested that we go to a driving range and hit a few buckets. After about a couple hours of frustration, we called it a day and went out for dinner. He suggested that I should return the clubs to the back of the dark closet that I pulled them from. So I did.

Fast forward a few years to a golf tournament that my nurseryman’s group was sponsoring. I mistakenly confided in another friend about my brief golf “history” and suddenly I found myself as part of a foursome. As the then-current chapter president, it was not politically-correct for me to back out, so I didn’t.

The day of the tournament arrived. At the registration table, I was asked if I wanted to buy a “mulligan”. I asked what it was. They told me that a mulligan was a do-over for a bad shot. Cool. I told them that I would buy a couple of dozen mulligans. After causing a lot of laughter at the table and the line behind me, it was explained that each golfer was limited to one mulligan. So I bought one.

As we were at the first hole, a man came running out of the clubhouse to tell me that I needed to back up to the men’s tee, since I was standing at the women’s tee. I told him that I was taking my second shot, since I didn’t want to waste my mulligan on this. When he returned to the clubhouse, I heard more laughing coming from the building. This was going to be a long day.

God gives us a mulligan, too. He gave His son, Jesus, who died on the cross for our sins. When we accept Christ as our savior, God is giving us the ultimate do-over. Our sins are washed away and we can then live our lives the way that God wants us to.

In what areas of my life am I most likely to cut corners or put aside my values? When is it hard to keep my word? Since I was struck down by the stroke in December 2006, my word and my values are all that I have left. So far, I don’t think I’ve broken my word or forgotten my values. I really don’t know how to answer this question.