God As My Caddy?

God as my caddy?  The preacher couldn’t possibly be relating the infinite, omnipotent, and omniscient God of the Universe to the 16 year old boys looking to make a few bucks in the summer by carrying bags around a well manicured course?  As a golfer myself, I was intrigued and therefore kept listening hoping the connection would make more sense than it did initially.  Thankfully, the history lesson intertwined with the sermon made the analogy work and come alive as a great example of who God really is and what He can do if you choose to allow Him access to all areas of your life.

Back when golf was first invented, the course looked quite different. Apparently were longer with challenges beyond the typical ‘hazards’ found on ordinary courses today. In those days, the caddy had to be an expert of the course; knowing the location of all the sand traps and water hazards and where the areas of long grass were. The caddy also knew what the ground was like, where to place your shot, and which club would provide the maximum benefit. In essence, the caddy knew more about the course than the golfer.  Good golfers realized the importance of their expertise and did well to heed their advice.  All the golfer needed to do was to listen to the instruction the caddy provided, and execute the shot to the best of his ability.

God knows the course of our lives better than we do, in fact He has them all mapped out.  God stands behind us, lines us up, gives us the right club, tells us to take a full swing, then lets us swing the club. He really is the ultimate caddy of life.  We have the privilege of listening to him as we journey along, but then also the freedom to choose whether or not to accept His advice.  And if my experience on the golf course tells me anything, it is to listen to those who know the course better than I do.