Hello and welcome back to TaylorHarveyGolf! I know it has been a while, but that is the reality of being a collegiate student-athlete.
As I have stated before, this website is all about transparency and the importance of authenticity. Lately, life has been challenging; ensuring assignments are turned in, studying for exams, and doing your best to perform on and off the golf course.
College is rough, golf is rough, and having faith during challenging times is rough too.
Oftentimes I catch myself wondering why God choose the game of golf for me to play. This game takes practice, determination, patience, and well… faith.
Competing in my first few spring tournaments, I opted to carry my golf bag instead of using a push cart. Call me crazy, but I feel more at peace and in control when carrying my bag instead of using my energy to push a cart all over the golf course.
Before each round, I like to ask God what he is trying to teach me for the day. It allows me to free myself from the harshness that evolves around the game and relieves me of any pressure I undoubtedly put on myself.
While playing in the Corpus Christi golf tournament, I was going through it in more ways than one. I was doubting, frustrated, and questioning why I was playing golf in the first place. After stripping the ball down the fairway and walking to my next shot, I noticed an older man and his dog in their backyard. I watched in awe as the two joyously played together and the love exuding from their backyard hit me. It was a moment of pureness that encapsulated me, watching the owner toss a toy and his puppy retrieve it.
At that moment, God was teaching me a few things.
In this scenario, God was the owner, and I was the young puppy. First, the owner choose that puppy to care for without the puppy ever understanding or knowing why. Second, the owner and the puppy had a relationship built on trust and love. Third, the puppy was obedient to his master, producing many good fruits for both parties.
As I continued to watch the pair, my heart swelled and my eyes stung at the amazement of their relationship dynamic and the power of God.
Here are the takeaways that I learned from watching these two.
A common misconception is that we choose God to serve when in actual reality, we were already chosen by Him. God knew us before we were in the womb, and knows exactly who we are more than we know ourselves. Find comfort in knowing that God chose you.
Building a meaningful relationship takes effort. Knowing that God chose you, all we can do is put our trust, faith, and belief in Him and allow our hearts to be open to Him. In times of hardship, in times of despair, and in times of uncertainty, we can wholeheartedly lean on Him to hold us up when we can not do it on our own. That is the power of love, and God is the epitome of just that.
Obedience. This is one of the hardest aspects of the Christian walk and I am no exception. It is hard to have faith when everything in this world tells you otherwise. It is hard to trust and believe in someone that is not tangible or visible. That does not mean He is not there. When examining the relationship between the owner and the puppy and the joy and love between the two, it was because of obedience. The puppy was free to be happy, free to roam and play, and free to trust his owner. The puppy knew that the owner was not going to harm him, had no ill intentions for him, and would provide a good life for him. God is no different, if not better. God is SO good, and his love is more than sufficient for any human being on this Earth. God wants nothing but the best for us, can see things we can not see, and will guide you if you let Him. The first step to reap the goodness of God is to surrender, be obedient, and to listen. It is not easy by any circumstance, but it is not by our strength, but by having faith in Jesus Christ.
Christianity is more than a religion. It is about the importance of a relationship, a wholehearted trusting bond with someone who is greater than you. It is about having an open dialogue with the creator of the universe who has had a plan for you before you were a concept in this world. Allow yourself to believe that you are worthy, that you are enough, and that you are more than what you tell yourself. Have faith, as small as a mustard seed.
When I was younger, I would go to the kid's ministries at the church I grew up in. In one of my classes, we had to memorize a Bible verse and we would be able to spin the wheel for a prize of our liking. To this day, I believe that this verse was spoken directly over my life, and I encourage you to memorize this verse and apply it to yours as well.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11
As always, I love you but God loves you more.
Stay encouraged, and know the battle is already won.
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