Free Putt-Putt Lesson

Consider yourself lucky, today you get a golf lesson (or putt-putt lesson) and a blog post in one sitting!I hope that didn't scare away too many people.  If it didn't here it goes...I had been working on Sunday (yes I know there are problems with that, but thats another topic all together) and decided that I needed to get out on the golf course and enjoy the beautiful weather.  I left the office and simply took my putter out to the practice area to putt some and practice a skill (putting) that is vital to being a good golfer.  I had been having some trouble putting over the last couple of weeks when it is normally one of the strongest areas of my golf game.  So I figured if I practiced some I could figure it out.  I was trying everything I could think of, different drills, putting with one hand, eyes closed, etc.  Then my memory recalled an extremely simple principle.  A principle that every golfer is taught as one of their first things anyone ever tells them..."keep your head down."The tendency in putting, and in many golf shots is to look up quickly so you can see where the ball goes.  We all have that desire to see the results immediately.  Some of us are concerned that if we don't look up we will not see where it goes and lose a golf ball.  But ultimately if you don't keep your head down through the entire golf swing, I can nearly guarantee that you will not make as good of contact with the golf ball as you would had you kept your head down.  For myself, I had begun to get a little too confident and assumptive that my putting stroke was good enough where it didn't matter if I kept my head down or not...I was wrong.  Simply put, you have to fight the instinct to look up and trust that the putting stroke you make will accomplish the goal of getting the ball in the hole.It took me remembering some of the most basic golf instruction I have ever received to start putting better.  But I had forgotten how important it was.There are a lot of instructions in our lives that God has given us that are basic to our relationship with him.  Jesus makes it very clear in the New Testament what we should focus on.  LOVE.Matthew 22:37-40Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”So if keeping your head down is the greatest rule in golf, then Loving others is the greatest rule in our lives.  Just like my golf tip, if you simply love others, the results will speak for themselves.  While we may want to skip that step sometimes and just search for the results, we should always focus on love first and allow love to be the driver behind all we do.I love reading the stories of Jesus in the New Testament because you can always count on Him to love FIRST in every situation He encounters.  He never faltered in this, and never forgot this.  Find a way to continually remind yourself to love others you come in contact with on a daily basis.  Just like you wouldn't forget to breath, don't forget to love.  After all it is the most important thing!So keep your head down and love others!