I have been getting more into golf this year, and one of the biggest lessons I have been learning is to let the club do the work. When I first started playing, I swung as hard as I possibly could every time. The result was almost always the same. The ball would shoot off into the woods, never to be seen again. Lately, I have been practicing a smoother, easier swing. When I simply trust the club to do what it was made to do, the ball actually goes farther and straighter.
We often feel pressure to earn salvation or approval from God. When we mess up, we think we have to make up for it ourselves. But that is not the gospel. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” Paul wrote this letter to the church in Ephesus to remind them that they were no longer defined by what they could achieve. Jesus already did the work through the cross, and salvation is a gift that cannot be earned.
So today, be reminded to stop trying so hard. When you swing your spiritual life with all your own effort, it ends up flying into the woods. Instead, keep your eyes on Jesus and take it easy. Trust His power working in you. When you rely on your own strength, you burn out. When you rely on His strength, you see the results He intends for your life. Ephesians 3:20 reminds us, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” God does the heavy lifting. You simply partner with Him in faith.
Golf has been teaching me that smooth and steady is better than swinging out of control. The same is true in following Jesus. You do not have to perform for His approval. You do not have to earn what He already paid for. Let God do the work He wants to do in you and through you. Keep your head down, stay focused on Jesus, and take a smooth swing of faith. He will send your life exactly where it needs to go.
The Bigger Picture: When we stop striving and trust God’s power at work within us, our lives go farther and straighter than we could ever force on our own.
The Bigger Picture 