Tuesday, May 07, 2013

Keeping Score

Yesterday I remembered why I like to play golf. For me, the best round of golf is played by myself. I know, I know...golf is supposed to be played in twos or threes or fours. And that's fun, too, but I like to get out there with nothing to do but hit the ball, brag on my shot, and try to do better.

I keep score but it's not real accurate. My golf prowess will put fear in no one so I don't mind dropping a ball when I don't like the one I just hit. Sometimes I have to do that because I can't find the ball I just hit. And I don't add a penalty shot for that. I know and respect the rules of the game but I'm not playing the same game most people play. If I ever get close to that game I'll gladly adopt and preach those rules, trust me!

I just don't see the need to add twenty or thirty penalty strokes to a score that's already three digits the way I keep it.

So I'm awful at golf. You've already figured that out. Even taking unlimited mulligans and helping the ball sit up nicely on the grass doesn't help much. I'm just awful at golf.

But I like it and hope to play once or twice a month during nice weather. Maybe I'll even invite someone to come along. They better not expect me to keep score the right way.

Christians are good at keeping score even though the apostle Paul said that "love keeps no records of wrongs." We are to love each other as Christ loves us. We are to love our enemies, too. I guess there's just nobody we aren't supposed to love.

But we'd rather keep score. We'd rather assess penalty strokes at even the hint of wrong-doing. We want to crush our opponents rather than love them.

I don't think that pleases Jesus.

Peter thought he was being pretty generous one day when he asked Jesus if forgiving someone seven times was sufficient. That seemed very generous to Peter but Jesus said to forgive seventy-seven (or seventy times seven, depending on how you read the Greek) times. Jesus was not giving a hard and fast number but was illustrating unlimited forgiveness. Nobody could imagine being wronged in the same way that many times and being asked for forgiveness that many times. But Jesus' point was that we should be willing to forgive every time somebody asks us.

That's what Jesus does for me. The golf purists probably won't forgive me for my scorekeeping no matter how I throw myself at their mercy. But Jesus promises to forgive me each time I ask.

And he expects that of us, too. We are to forgive rather than keep score.

I keep a scorecard while I play golf. Then I throw it away as I leave the course.

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