November 15th, 2004

Nice Dimples!

Dimple … “an indented, hollowed or depressed area in the surface of something, as in the skin and flesh of the cheek or chin.”

I’m not a golfer, but I remember hearing an interesting illustration about golf balls. If you have ever played golf, you are well aware that a golf ball is covered with small dimples across its surface. I am told that there was a time when golf balls had a perfectly smooth surface. Every time the ball was struck by a golf club, however, a small scar—or dimple—would remain on the ball’s surface. After numerous dimples occurred, golfers began to notice that the balls were being hit for a longer distance. It was as a result of this revelation that researchers discovered that the dimpled surface of the golf ball actually created more lift, thus allowing further distance on each drive.

This story caused me to think about adversity in our lives and how God sometimes allows hardship to help to mature us and bring about positive results. Often life has a way of beating on us, leaving a series of emotional and psychological scars in the process. But a right attitude and a proper faith will enable those scars to become the very source of our growth and maturity.

Can you relate? Perhaps you are going through circumstances in your life that God wants to use to strengthen you and toughen you. If so, always remember that his ultimate goal is to create greater endurance so that you will perform at a higher peak for a longer period of time. It’s a part of the maturity that he seeks in each of us.

Life is a wonderful experience and something for which each of us is thankful, I’m sure. But life can be challenging at times and is filled with circumstances and situations that leave more than enough scars. One of the true joys of being a person of faith is to see how effectively God is capable of taking those painful scars of life and turning them into cute dimples–dimples that actually enhance our lives and provide us with the means to perform at a higher and longer pace.

So if life tries to beat you down, always remember: When the struggles of life tend to “tee you off,” just keep driving FORE-ward!

Ken Owen

© 2004 TeamRFC