RUINED BY GOD

"More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ." (Philippians 3:8, NRSV)

Was it the chip-in birdie on the difficult par-5?

Perhaps it was the incredibly beautiful two days of golf in the middle of November—in Seattle! Not a cloud in the sky, Mt. Rainier in the background with temperatures in the mid forties.

Maybe it was the fact I was golfing with one of my favorite "golf buds." After two days of golf we were tied in every way—total score, match play, and skins.

Then again, it might have been the two eagles soaring overhead, circling in effortless motion as we walked down the fairway to our perfectly placed drives. Or was it the family of beavers swimming in the pond at the edge of the first par-3?

Correct! It was all of the above.

I have been ruined by this game because almost every round of golf contains competition, beautiful nature, friendship and even mystery. After all, who really expected my 55-foot putt on number one to actually go in the hole? The game has captured me and I hope I am able to play it for many more years.

Some time ago, a friend of mine came back from a mission trip and when she was telling me about the experience, she looked at me and said, "God ruined me on this trip. I'll never be the same." Her heart had been gripped with a new passion for ministry and cross-cultural adventure for the Kingdom. By being "ruined" she meant that nothing else mattered. Nothing would satisfy like being in harmony with God's will. All other dreams and thoughts about how life should be lived paled in comparison.

Consider these words by Julian of Norwich: "I conceived a great desire, and prayed our Lord God that he would grant me in the course of my life three wounds, that is, the wound of contrition, the wound of compassion and the wound of longing with my will for God."

What an interesting prayer! How many of us have asked God to wound us? I know I never have. Yet, God has wounded me. God has shown me enough of Himself to totally ruin my life.

By the Spirit and the Word, God has a way of wounding us, of ruining us. Some have experienced a great outpouring of God's love to such a degree they are never the same. Others are gripped by the truth of God's Word and others are wounded as they serve the poor at the downtown mission. God has many ways to capture our heart. And once our hearts are captured, nothing else really matters. "When we have seen the Creator of all things, all that is created seems very little" (also from Julian of Norwich).

Several years ago when I was ruined by golf, I lost most of my interest in other sports. I still enjoy the occasional baseball game or soccer match, but I'm passionate about hitting little white balls into very tiny holes 450 yards away.

At the age of 12, God's love captured my heart and I have been trying to respond to God's action in my life ever since. In fact, I think I'm ready to pray Julian's prayer as we begin to move into another Advent season. It's a bit frightening, but I think I might ask God to wound me with love.

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Brad Davis

November 29, 2007

Copyright 2007 Links Players International

The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.