My friend Ron Potter gave me Dr. Bob Rotella’s book, Golf is Not a Game of Perfect a few years ago. I love it and sometimes it’s actually helps my game.
What’s even more valuable is to take it a step further and realize that LIFE is not a game of perfect. It’s so freeing to realize that perfection isn’t the goal.
In Genesis 17, God is talking to Abram and He tells him, “I am God Almighty, [habitually] Walk before Me and be blameless. And I will establish My covenant, between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”
In the verse, Abram (later Abraham) received a tremendous promise from God – he’d would be multiplied exceedingly. BUT, he first had to habitually walk with God. He had to make it a habit to walk with God. He wasn’t asked to be perfect, just develop habits of walking with God.
Here’s the deal – habits don’t come easy. It takes practice to develop good habits. I’d love to play the guitar like the late Chet Atkins or Eric Clapton, but they practiced fourteen hours a day. I don’t. Their practice led them to develop some incredible habits, but it took practice. They didn’t achieve perfection overnight, and they’d probably admit that they’ve never reached perfection. But, they keep practicing and developing habits.
The point is this. None of us will ever reach perfection. We get so caught up in our own or other people’s expectations and we think we have to hit it perfect every time. Truth is, we can’t and we won’t. Rotella writes, “[a golfer needs to] shed his expectations before the first shot.”
In his book Linchpin by Seth Godin. He says, “Art is never defect free. Things that are remarkable never meet spec, because that would make them standardized, not worth talking about.” Even when we practice, we’ll never hit perfection. And, the most remarkable things come out of imperfection.
The key is “habitually walking” with God. We won’t reach perfection on this side of the veil, but we can keep habitually talking with God, habitually trusting Him, habitually seeking His voice and His will. We won’t be perfect, but we’ll be walking in the right direction. FORE!!
©2014 Wayne Hastings. All Rights Reserved. Site by Birdsong Creative.
4 Responses to “Life is Not a Game of Perfect”
lord knows i don’t meet spec. i suppose that’s good.
Thats what makes you a remarkable person.
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Thanks for this one, Wayne. I’m forwarding it to the guys in my study group.
Armin
Thats great Armin.
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