Hey Friends,

Have you ever heard it said, “I’m in the groove?” I have.  It usually refers to someone that has practiced something, so they “cut a groove and stay in it.” This is how we are supposed to get better. Practice, practice, practice, we are told. If you do, you will cut a groove and it will be easier to stay in it. But is the groove the best place for you?

I just started playing golf after a six-year sabbatical; it should have been longer!  Now, after several rounds of golf my old swing is coming back. Why? I grooved it in. It is wrong and horrible, but it is grooved. Unless I concentrate, I see my old bad habits creeping back in! Why? Because I spent years and years in the WRONG GROOVE!

You may have heard it said “practice makes perfect.” But if you practice incorrectly, you’ll wind up with incorrect habits. You see, practice makes permanent, not perfect. So what’s the answer? 

First, get help. Great golfers like Tiger Woods are continuously refining their swing to improve. Tiger has a swing coach that helps him find poor mechanics in his technique and teaches him how to correct them. Just because Tiger has won tons of tournaments doesn’t mean he doesn’t need help from others! Seek out others who can help you identify and overcome your weaknesses. Next, spend time in deliberate practice.  Golfers will often spend hours on the driving range honing their skills. This kind of practice is intentional. It is about feedback and correction. It is being open to help and improvements. This kind of discipline requires focused effort, and it’s essential if you want to improve. Finally – and this is key – don’t let pride get in the way. Acknowledge that you don’t have it all figured out and let someone else speak into your life. Without humility, it’s impossible to dig yourself out of that groove!

These disciplines go beyond the fairways and bunkers – they can apply to any aspect of life. What are you doing to train yourself? What are you doing to identify your weaknesses and correct them? Paul told the Corinthian church, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we are imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air;   but I discipline my body and make it my slave so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

Keep your eyes on the prize! In ministry and in my spiritual growth I desperately want to grow, so I ALWAYS need to be open to feedback and improvement.  I plan to grow and want the people around me to help me so that I can be all that God has designed me to be! Are you open to feedback and self-correction? I pray so!

Just a thought.

Yours to count on,

Pastor