Where is God?
In my my lifelong search for God (and He for me), we have met or tried to meet in a plethora of places. What’s nice about hanging with God is He doesn’t have that awkward time and space boundary limiting other relationships, which certainly opens up the playing field. And the playing field we’ve sometimes met is the golf course.
Distractions (fellow golfers, my own sucky golf game) can sometimes limit our course communion, but no such impediments occurred recently when I was played golf twice alone. Not just without a foursome; in both instances I was the only player on the course throughout my round.
One of these rounds was at the Thompson Falls Golf Course in Montana; the other at the Orofino Country Club on the Nez Perce reservation in Idaho. As you might imagine, the fall scenery in both locales was stunning: cottonwood trees bedecked with the reds, oranges, and yellows of autumn surrounded by panoramas of sun drenched mountains.
In other words--God’s country. And God’s creatures were also on display with deer, ducks and even turkeys crossing my path and sometimes occupying the greens I was targeting (the way I played, they hardly felt threatened). And when I showed up at the Orofino course, a small kitten adopted me, jumping into my arms as I put my golf shoes on and intercepting my putts on the practice green.
So you could say I really wasn’t alone--God was with me. His Handiwork was on hand, communicating His Presence through His creation and creatures. Who could miss it? We were really playing a twosome, with me hitting the shots and He providing the scenery.
With all this grandeur you’d think I’d be embracing some kind of visio divina (prayer of the eyes), or at least a runneth over cup (like my putts). But for some reason I felt an uneasiness, even a dissatisfaction. Why? Was I being spiritually greedy?
I think it had more to do with where I am in life right now. Being in the late Autumn of my own earthly sojourn, I feel a desire to experience God as directly as possible. Whispering in the wind can be nice and all but I’m somehow wanting more of a face to face with God the Father than some cheek kissing by Mother Nature. Anything wrong with wanting something more tangible and transcendent
Usually, yes. God has His reasons for keeping the megaphone off his still small voice, many of which are beyond my comprehension. I may want a skywritten HERE I AM! or at least a GOOD SHOT RICK! but that doesn’t seem to be His way. And the latter would’ve been disingenuous anyway as the mundane of many many missed shots overtook the sublime of my spiritual quest.
This experience with God turned out like many experiences with God: compelling, intriguing and yet disappointing and leaving me asking for more. The mystery of God and the mystery of me leaves life......mysterious. So I’m on to the next course, looking for God and having life play itself out.
In my my lifelong search for God (and He for me), we have met or tried to meet in a plethora of places. What’s nice about hanging with God is He doesn’t have that awkward time and space boundary limiting other relationships, which certainly opens up the playing field. And the playing field we’ve sometimes met is the golf course.
Distractions (fellow golfers, my own sucky golf game) can sometimes limit our course communion, but no such impediments occurred recently when I was played golf twice alone. Not just without a foursome; in both instances I was the only player on the course throughout my round.
One of these rounds was at the Thompson Falls Golf Course in Montana; the other at the Orofino Country Club on the Nez Perce reservation in Idaho. As you might imagine, the fall scenery in both locales was stunning: cottonwood trees bedecked with the reds, oranges, and yellows of autumn surrounded by panoramas of sun drenched mountains.
In other words--God’s country. And God’s creatures were also on display with deer, ducks and even turkeys crossing my path and sometimes occupying the greens I was targeting (the way I played, they hardly felt threatened). And when I showed up at the Orofino course, a small kitten adopted me, jumping into my arms as I put my golf shoes on and intercepting my putts on the practice green.
So you could say I really wasn’t alone--God was with me. His Handiwork was on hand, communicating His Presence through His creation and creatures. Who could miss it? We were really playing a twosome, with me hitting the shots and He providing the scenery.
With all this grandeur you’d think I’d be embracing some kind of visio divina (prayer of the eyes), or at least a runneth over cup (like my putts). But for some reason I felt an uneasiness, even a dissatisfaction. Why? Was I being spiritually greedy?
I think it had more to do with where I am in life right now. Being in the late Autumn of my own earthly sojourn, I feel a desire to experience God as directly as possible. Whispering in the wind can be nice and all but I’m somehow wanting more of a face to face with God the Father than some cheek kissing by Mother Nature. Anything wrong with wanting something more tangible and transcendent
Usually, yes. God has His reasons for keeping the megaphone off his still small voice, many of which are beyond my comprehension. I may want a skywritten HERE I AM! or at least a GOOD SHOT RICK! but that doesn’t seem to be His way. And the latter would’ve been disingenuous anyway as the mundane of many many missed shots overtook the sublime of my spiritual quest.
This experience with God turned out like many experiences with God: compelling, intriguing and yet disappointing and leaving me asking for more. The mystery of God and the mystery of me leaves life......mysterious. So I’m on to the next course, looking for God and having life play itself out.
RSS Feed