game

Our Memory Can Get Us In And Out Of Trouble
by

Our Memory Can Get Us In And Out Of Trouble

Our memory can will us forward but it can also set us back. I learned the latter just the other day.

our memory can get us in and out of trouble

Your memory of what you have done can give you real confidence to attempt to do the same thing again. After all, you know you’ve done it before; why couldn’t you do it again?

Well, sometimes our memory doesn’t take into account the reality of new circumstances.

I kind of faced that this past week when I went golfing with a few buddies from high school.

I had some great memories to bring with me to the game:  We were playing a course I have played literally hundreds of times (the one caveat being that most of those games were over 35 years ago and I haven’t played the course more than a dozen times since). The golfers I was playing with were all high school friends from way back. So I knew the course and I was comfortable with who I was playing with. 

Then there was the game itself. I felt good, my swing was good and I was pretty confident that I wouldn’t have any trouble hitting the ball well. 

… And that is where my memory didn’t help me. 

You see, I do know how to hit a golf ball and most of the time I can hit it well. But I’ve only played four rounds of golf this year and the last time I picked up a club was almost two months ago.

Still, my memory of the game had me convinced that, given all the factors, I would be able to shoot a score that rivalled games I have shot it the past. 

But my memory didn’t account for several things …

The greens on this course were lightning fast and that was not easy to get used to in a short time. The greens were also large so I faced a lot of very long putts.

Then there was the concentration factor.  

It takes a lot of concentration to keep hitting the ball well. You don’t have to concentrate the whole time, but you have to be able to really focus for short bursts when you are hitting a ball. That can make you mentally weary. 

And then there was the physical weariness. When you are not used to walking a long, 6000 plus yard course, you tend to get tired. Near the end of the round I noticed that I was not hitting the ball well. I was just tired and out of golf shape. 

What can you expect? … I kept telling myself that after I would hit another shot that missed the target I was aiming for. 

In the end, I didn’t shoot a score that rivalled scores of the past. I shot a score that rivalled one of my worst scores ever on that course … probably the worst score I’ve shot in years – maybe 30.

Next time I’m not going to rely on my memory. I’m going to work on my skills and conditioning before I show up. 

Here’s the thing: Sometimes you can face a spiritual challenge – a struggle with temptation or a battle with emotions. You may be tempted to rely on your memory of how you’ve worked these through in the past. But the best way to deal with these challenges is to keep spiritually fit and engaged so that you are well-equipped to deal with what you face.

That’s Life! 

Paul

Question: What are you relying too much on your memory for? Leave your comments and questions below.

Subscribe to my blog and receive posts like this one delivered to your email inbox twice weekly.

by

The Father Daughter Game

She took me! My daughter took me to the game!

Karlie took me to a Toronto Raptors’ game; it was her Christmas present to me. We just went, having planned it for a time I had some business in the area.

I haven’t been to a Raptor’s game in a long time, so I wanted to go to a really good game. You always want your team to win, but especially when you attend a game live.

The trouble with this game was that the Raps were on a 5 game losing skid and their big star, DeMar DeRozan, was injured and not in the lineup.

The good news was they were playing a team that was well below them in the standing.

But my focus was on how my daughter was going to take in this game.

… The last time I took Karlie to a basketball game was in Edmonton. Now Edmonton has never had an NBA basketball team, but a minor league team was operating out of the city for a few years when we lived there.

I took a group of students from our church to a game and had an extra ticket.

I can’t remember the reason why, but I brought Karlie along to the game … she was three.

I’m not sure what I was expecting – an instant love for the game? an ability to understand the intricacies of the play? a keen interest in the players’ skills?

But what Karlie zeroed in on was the team mascot. Though we were sitting way high up in the stands, this fuzzy, energetic animal captured her attention.

I don’t think Karlie watched the game; she just kept her eye on that mascot.

When the game was over, she didn’t want to leave. She wanted to stay. I couldn’t figure out why she wouldn’t want to get going – the game was not a big hit for her. Then she started pointing right at the mascot.

I realized that this event wouldn’t end well without us at least trying to see the mascot.

We headed down to the floor level, and I maneuvered us over to where the mascot was giving high fives to all the kids swarming around him.

We got close but then he turned and started walking away from us. I thought we had missed our chance for Karlie to  get up close with the star of the game.

Just then the mascot stopped. He turned around, looked right at Karlie, got down on one knee and put out his arms.

That was all the invitation Karlie needed; she ran to him and got engulfed in his fur.

That was the highlight; we could go home.

This time around for Karlie, it was all about the skill, the plays and the intricacies of the game – not the mascot … oh, how 24 years changes things.

Here’s the thing: We are supposed to grow in all areas of our life as we get older. To stay the same in an area doesn’t make sense and really only stunts us. Be sure you are still growing in your relationship with God. Don’t be stunted spiritually.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What area of your life have you seen growth in over the last five years? Leave your comments below.

by

How To Secure Perks In Life

When we sign up for things, we often take note of the perks that go along with them. It might be the key to the staff room, or a special parking spot – maybe even one with your name on it.

photo

Other perks might be a membership to an exclusive club, or an expense account, or a company car.  Perks are nice; they are those little somethings that make you feel special, important or valued.

But when you sign up for being a dad, you don’t think of the perks you get with that. In fact, when you start out, you don’t even think there are any perks.

There are the 2 am marathons of walking around the family room trying to soothe your little one back to sleep. There are the diapers to be changed, feedings, and the constant questions that never end.

We worry about them, spend money on them, give advice to them, give up our free time for them … do more worrying about them, coax them to spend time with us, more money, more worry, more money.

By the time your kids are in their mid-twenties, there’s been a lot of money and worry that’s gone into them. Perks? They’re not high on the list.

But the other day I got a perk. My kids, Karlie and Mike, took me to a Blue Jays game! It was their birthday present to me. They bought the tickets, and bought me a T-shirt so I would match them in their Blue Jay attire.

This was a far cry from the hockey mini stick Mike made for me years ago (autographed by him). And it’s more than the little cardboard box with stickers Karlie made forever ago for me to put my receipts in. (I still have both of those presents, by the way.)

This wasn’t even something Lily bought for me and they just put their names on it. No, this was something they thought up, something they knew I would like, and something they made arrangements for on their own.

This was a genuine perk. We took in a meal at “Real Sports” just outside the Air Canada Centre, and I got to hang out with my two kids who live in two different cities now.

There was excitement: Mike and I caught up to and beat our Go Train to get on it two stops later, with mere seconds to spare. Karlie had to tell a guy to go away on the subway after he wouldn’t leave her side.

Oh, and there was another perk that day: The Jays walk off win in the 10th inning on an exciting play at the plate!

I never thought of perks when I became a dad. But now it seems like there are some perks, and I have a good feeling there will be more to come.

Here’s the thing: When you sign up with Christ for forgiveness and a relationship with Him, you don’t think of perks along the way. But when you start to take the focus off yourself, your problems and frustrations, and instead concentrate on loving Christ and seeking His will each day, what you find is, He helps you with things you’re not prepared for or equipped to handle. And those are perks you can look forward to every day.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What’s the last perk you received from your kids?  You can leave your comment below.