Authentic Spirituality
Because of the bright lights behind me, the golf balls
themselves appeared to be glowing that night as they flew
through the air. I couldn't avoid hearing a loud voice over the
clicking of clubs hitting golf balls. I'd seen him there before
and we'd talked golf. Tonight his balding head reflected the
lights of the driving range nearly the same way the golf balls
did in flight. But it wasn't his shiny head that was annoying
me, it was his foul mouth. It seemed he couldn't describe any
event without using profane adjectives. He walked from one
person to another telling golf stories, casting himself as the
hero. Finally, a few feet away, his attention focused on me.
"Are you still knocking the *%#* outta the ball?" he asked. I
forced a smile, "I'm hitting pretty good," I said hoping he
would just keep walking. He didn't. Instead he began telling me
why he chose to be at the driving range even though his wife
wanted to spend time with him. Using filthy language, he told me
men should "stand up" to their wives and do "whatever they
wanted to do."
Growing tired of his nonsense, I decided it was time to get rid
of him. I waited until he finished lecturing about husbands and
wives before saying, "I work for a Christian marriage ministry."
I hit 3 golf balls during the awkward silence that followed.
Open Mouth, Insert Foot
"Ya know, people come to me for marriage help all the time," he
began. "Why it was just the other day that..." His previous
stories of his heroism shifted from haughty to holy. He told me
about his church and how he encouraged new members to make
friends with visitors. He told me about couples he counseled in
his church. He told me that nothing mattered without Jesus.
"Sometimes the best time to minister to others is while
golfing," he said. At this point the awkward silence made it's
re-entrance. I think we both felt the hypocrisy in his words. He
politely closed with small talk and walked away. I returned to
hitting golf balls into the black sky.
It's not a difficult application. James 3:10-12 says, "Out of
the same mouth comes praise and cursing. My brothers, this
should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the
same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a
grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh
water."
The Best Sermon is...
We should always strive to live spiritually authentic lives.
What we are in private and what we are in public should be
similar. We can't expect the world to give credit to our
testimonies of faith while we are both witnesses of Christ and
puppets of profanity.
Authentic spirituality doesn't happen over night. Just like
physical strength, spiritual strength takes exercise and time.
Our walk with Christ is not defined by rare strokes of spiritual
brilliance; consistent effort and prayer define it.
Paul said in 2 Timothy 4:2 & 5, "Proclaim the message: be
persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable;
convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in
teaching."
"As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of
an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully."
As Christians, we are held to high standards. We represent
Christ. We represent His Church. Though we are not perfect, the
Bible says that we should be "imitators of God"
(Ephesians 5:1). The journey is long and the goal is a lofty
one, but the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to challenge us to it.
Are you up for the challenge? It begins by imitating Jesus.