Pro-Am Patience

I am doing something interesting today. I am carrying a golf bag for an amateur golfer at the Pro-Am tournament the day before the RSM Classic begins at Sea Island Golf Resort. 

            If you are not familiar, a “Pro-Am” event is held the day before a professional golf tournament begins. On that day three amateur players (who pay quite dearly for the privilege) play alongside one of the professional golfers for 18 holes.  The pro has his regular caddie.  Others of us volunteer to caddie for the amateurs.

            I’ve done this a couple of times before, thanks to my son.  It’s a very interesting day. I get to spend four hours or so watching one very good golfer play. Most of the time he is not nearly as serious as he will be the next day, but still I can learn from watching.  On his worst day he is so much better than I will ever be.

            Sometimes the amateur golfers are pretty good. But sometimes it becomes apparent that the amateur golfer has only one thing to qualify for the day. Enough money to pay the fee.

            I feel for the pro on those days.  It must take great patience to play with someone who will score more than 100 when most days you are playing with the best golfers in the world. Of course, these golfers are quite nicely compensated, so perhaps that is simply a price that must be paid.

            That word patience is interesting, is it not? “Be patient.” Those words may come when you are hungry.  And hungry can quickly become “hangry” (the merger of hungry and angry), right?

            I am reminded that God calls us to be patient. And of course, He is very patient with us.  I long to be more patient.  But that is a process. It will not happen overnight. I must practice patience.  And it is never easy. I pray that we will grow in our patience.  May we be more Christ-like in acting with patience.