Evan and Heaven

Not long ago my wife needed a ride to the South County Outreach for a Board meeting. Since her meeting was going to run several hours, I decided that I would drop her off and go play a few holes of golf at Casta Del Sol, which is a small executive course in Mission Viejo. The guy in pro shop said they were pretty busy, but as I approached the 1^st tee, the only people there were a young boy and his mother.

The boy really stood out. He was dressed in neatly pressed golf pants with a bright green golf shirt and cool Nike shoes but his Mom was dressed in street clothes with only a simple umbrella to block the sun. Apparently, she was just there to keep him company. I introduced myself and found out his name was Evan and that he was 12 years old. As he took a few practice swings I could tell he had potential. He said he’d been playing for three years, had a really good coach, and absolutely loved the game.

I teed off and hit a three-wood down the middle of the fairway about 90 yards from the green. Evan teed off next and crushed his driver, landing the ball only 3 feet short of the green. He then chipped close and made his putt for a birdie on the first hole. He landed the green on the second hole and made par. He landed the green on the third hole and made par again. After watching this 12 year old boy kick my butt for six straight holes, I noticed I was running out of time and needed to leave. I was super impressed with the young man, not just because of his beautiful swing but because he was so nice, and so polite, and seemed so much older than he was.

I should mention that back at the second hole he asked me what church I attend. I responded with, “Church?” and he said, “Yeah, I noticed your bracelet that says I am Second, so I was just wondering what church you go to?” So I smiled and told him about several churches in the area and gave him a tip for a good church in his town. Then we immediately went back to discussing golf the rest of the time. As I shook his hand and said goodbye to his mother, I offered him encouragement on his golf game and told him to keep practicing, practicing and then practice some more.

When I got home that evening something dawned on me… and I felt ashamed of myself! When that young boy asked about my bracelet it was a perfect opportunity for me to share my faith or at the very least share a story of one of the many ways God has touched my life. If I could go back in time…here is what I wish I would have said to Evan. “Golf is a lot like life. If you practice hard and play the game right with honesty and integrity… you will do well. It’s the same in life. If you practice hard every day doing what is right and treat people with honesty and integrity… you will be rewarded here on earth as well as later on in heaven.

I felt like I was put there at that moment to tell Evan about heaven and I blew it. Or maybe not……. Maybe Evan was put there to remind me of heaven!

 

Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.

~ Henry David Thoreau