The forecast looked fine when you made the tee time.
Then somewhere around the fifth hole, the wind picked up. The temperature dropped. Rain began falling sideways, and suddenly the course you expected to play disappeared.
The fairways became softer. Your grips became wet. Shots started flying different distances. Even routine swings became more difficult.
You could spend the rest of the round complaining that these were not the conditions you expected.
Or you could adjust and keep playing.
Life rarely gives us perfect playing conditions either.
Plans change. Relationships become difficult. Financial pressures arrive. Doors close unexpectedly. Seasons we thought would be easy become challenging.
We often ask God to change the conditions.
Sometimes He does.
Other times, He gives us the strength to walk through them.
Isaiah 41:10 says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.” (NIV)
Notice the promise is not that storms will never come. The promise is that God will be with us when they do.
A golfer playing in difficult weather has to adjust. Maybe you take an extra club into the wind. You swing more smoothly. You accept that the ball will not travel as far. You stop expecting your normal score under abnormal conditions.
That last lesson matters spiritually too.
Sometimes we become frustrated with ourselves because we are not performing at the same level during a difficult season that we did when life was easier.
God knows the conditions you are playing through.
Psalm 46:1 describes Him as “our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” (NIV)
He is not watching from the clubhouse while you struggle through the rain. He is present in the storm.
Bad weather can also simplify your thinking. Instead of chasing a perfect score, you begin focusing on the next safe shot. Instead of complaining about conditions you cannot control, you concentrate on what you can control.
Faith often requires the same adjustment.
You may not control the storm, but you can control whether you pray, trust, persevere, and continue walking with God through it.
Every storm eventually passes.
Until it does, keep playing faithfully.
Reflection
Are you frustrated because life does not currently look the way you expected? Instead of asking only for the conditions to change, ask God for the strength, wisdom, and peace to remain faithful while you play through them.