It’s story time (sort of)! I want to make this short, but I want to make a point that very often applies to each of us.

The other day, a friend was telling me that he likes to play golf because it’s a stress-reliever and an activity where he can simply enjoy himself. The final score doesn’t affect his success in life, his rough putting skills don’t make him a bad person, and the more he plays, the better he gets.

Recently, his grandfather (a golf enthusiast) told him that he wants to start playing with him. On their first trip to the golf course, my friend’s grandfather stepped out of the car with his grandmother in-tow (she was there to watch).

The two men started playing and after a bad shot (is that a proper golf term?), my friend cursed under his breath. His grandmother gave him a “watch yourself” kind of look. The next time it happened, she shook her head.

We all want to please the people we care about, but my friend told me that by his grandmother being there, she was taking the fun and relaxation out of the game. He wasn’t proud of what he had said in front of her, but in the heat of the moment, he wasn’t worried about it, either.

He told me, “I don’t want to have to worry about her getting upset with me while I’m playing. It’s awful, but I’d rather her not come anymore.”

So, here I go taking an everyday situation and making it about our walk with Christ, but it’s interesting that we worry a lot about what other people think of our actions (and might not want them around as to avoid their judgment), but we don’t take into account the fact that God is always there. He is forgiving, yes, but He wants more from us. It hurts Him more than it hurts us when we sin (let me go ahead and note that I am very often guilty of  ignoring God’s presence).

The more that we dismiss God, the more willing we might be to excuse our bad decisions, don’t you think?

“Straight to the point” is the name of today’s game. Thanks for reading! Happy Friday!