What I learned from 56 holes of Putt Putt

This week I played 56 holes of Putt Putt with my six-year old son. For you OCD people… yes I know we should have played 54, but we had playoffs. I lost by two strokes, I may have manipulated the score a little bit, but isn’t that what dad’s are supposed to do?

I learned a few valuable lessons half way up the mountain where the course was located.

1. Joy. Nothing beats the excitement of watching your child celebrate a hole-in-one. I think it is the disbelieving laugh followed by the raucous, “Yeah,” that instantly brings joy to any situation. It is good to laugh and have fun just for fun’s sake. It was wonderful to not have an agenda and to enjoy these moments. My son Carver got two hole-in-ones, I only had one.

2. Victory in Defeat. I lost, but in reality, I won. I am not talking about the stroke count; I am talking about my relationship with my boy. Playing Putt Putt with him three different times was special. It allowed us to enjoy each other, to celebrate with each other, and enjoy God’s creation together. The course had three different streams and waterfalls running through it.

3. Faith. My son had faith that every time he hit the ball it was going to be a perfect shot, hole-in-one. His childlike faith was awesome. No matter how many times he hit the ball poorly or even out of the course, he believed his next shot was going to be perfect. I wish that my faith in God was always so simple.

I would gladly play Putt Putt every day for the rest of my life if I could continue to see God through the lens of childlike faith. To my boy we were just having fun in the woods, to me we were experiencing God together, and nothing beats that.