Years ago when my husband began to introduce me to the game of golf, he explained the concept of trajectory. If my club face was off just an inch and I was putting a 2 foot putt, I am only off slightly from sinking that ball right into the hole. However, if I am 350 yards away from the green and my club face was off an inch, I am not an inch off but a couple feet off hitting the hole on the green.
Recently I was reminded of this concept as I realized that I was beginning to harden my heart based on a memory from over a decade ago. I recalled how much softer I had responded in certain situations years ago. Today, I am much more quippy and hardened in my responses. In that moment the Lord convicted me of my short and selfish attitude. It’s almost as if he asked me “Lisa, who are you becoming?” I immediately knew my responses were not reflections of Him. Over time, the trajectory of the softness of my responses had hardened. I was not the person I wanted to be. It has taken some time, but God has shown me through prayer, confession and stillness how to let the Holy Spirit be my response rather than my flesh. If I continued on this same trajectory into the future, I would be way off the mark of reflecting him. I recalled Proverbs 27:19 “As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart.” My heart response was not reflecting the woman in the mirror I desired to be.
What is it for you? Who are you becoming? What does your heart reflect in your thought life, your relationships, your career, your finances and your health?
This concept of trajectory works whether you are looking back 10 years or ahead 10 years. It works for our finances health, friendships marriage and career. If you want to save for retirement, you can change the trajectory now to arrive where you want to be. Is there a relationship that you need to mend by asking forgiveness? You can change the trajectory of where you will arrive in that relationship. Maybe for you, it’s caring for your health. If you want to have a strong heart in ten years, you can begin working out and reducing high fat intake to arrive at this healthy place.
If you continue on the same trajectory, will you arrive at the place you want to be? Will you arrive where God wants you to be? And when you arrive, based on your current trajectory, who will you be reflecting? What are you becoming?
In the game of golf, we make course corrections along the way to sink that putt. The same is true in life. We can make mid-life corrections and change our outcomes. Spend some time today pondering the woman you see looking back at you? Would a course correction change the reflection God wants to see?
This is so good Lisa. You are a woman who clearly desires to grow and allow God’s pruning all through the years. It is a beautiful example to your younger sisters (and us older ones too). Thank you for sharing it with me!