Bowling

 

I went bowling last Friday night.

It had been so long since I’d bowled that I’d forgotten my marks.

Did you know that the boards in a bowling alley are not randomly placed?

Instead, they’re placed in a certain arrangement that allows you to use them to know where to roll your ball, depending on your stroke—straight or curved, from the left or right, fast or slow?

Did you know that it took me an entire game to find the boards that are my marks?

 

The first game I rolled was bad.

I didn’t break 100.

My rolls went everywhere.

I couldn’t find a consistent stroke.

I didn’t strike the whole game.

I was not pleased.

 

The second game was much better.

After finding my mark, I rolling consistently.

I picked up every spare of the game except for two,

And I even got two strikes.

I scored an uncharacteristic 175.

My average is 124.

 

The third game’s score was similar to the first,

Only my stroke was consistent.

Unlike the first game when I left any number of pins in the frame,

I only left 1 pin most frames.

My problem was no longer my stroke,

My problem was that I was missing my spares by inches.

 

Did you know that for the average person,

Bowling is a game of spares?

Yes, strikes are the goal.

But for most of us, throwing a strike ball every frame just isn’t possible.

And so bowling becomes a game of spares—

It becomes a game of second chances.

 

When our first attempt doesn’t accomplish the goal,

We try again.

And truthfully, the second attempt often takes more skill than the first.

I’ve seen many bowlers who only know how to throw strike balls and are therefore at a disadvantage when their effort fails them.

But it’s the second attempt that offers redemption—

It’s the second attempt that often allows us to accomplish our goal.

 

Friends: May we be a people who learn how to throw spare balls.

And if you’re someone who throws a gutter ball more often than a strike or spare,

Then don’t worry.  

Just give yourself time, practice, patience, and

Someone to help you find your mark.

Then let me know, and we’ll join a bowling league together!

😊