More From Walter N. Maris

I know I have sometimes allowed personal agendas, health and family issues, weariness, just plain forgetfulness, and even laziness to interrupt my focus on worthy goals and projects, which leads to less than stellar results. Just like the golf experience I described in my meditation, there are things we must do to keep improving and moving ahead, taking nothing for granted and attending to all the little things needed to accomplish our goals.

To be honest, I think sometimes we back off our goals because it just seems like “too much” or because we have already put plenty of effort to the task and we want to do something else that has drawn our interest. We sometimes leave our goals undone and wallowing in incompleteness.

The apostle Paul shared that he was running for an imperishable crown and worked to bring his life into discipline so that he could faithfully preach to others. (See 1 Corinthians 9:25-27.) Obviously we are not all preachers—at least from a pulpit—but we are all witnesses for Christ by the way we conduct ourselves, and we attempt to live a disciplined life and walk as children of light. (See Eph. 5:8.)