Leaving it all behind
Moving on from the past
by Brian Radcliffe
Suitable for Key Stage 4/5
Aims
To encourage students to deal with guilt, regret and a sense of failure.
Preparation and materials
- You will need an image of Rory McIlroy. An example can be found at: https://tinyurl.com/mwh8x5pa
- Saint Paul’s words are found in Philippians 3:13-14. This can be found at: https://tinyurl.com/es2z74dm
Assembly
- Golf can be a very frustrating game. It can sometimes feel like for one hole we play a few brilliant shots, but for another hole we end up in a bunker, lost in the undergrowth or miss a putt from less than a metre.
- It’s no different for a professional player. Imagine the frustration when your successes and failures are measured in terms of thousands of pounds won or lost. Yet that’s exactly what can happen. Golf is like that.
- Display the image of Rory McIlroy. An example can be found at: https://tinyurl.com/mwh8x5pa
- Rory McIlroy knows about the frustrations of the game. On many occasions he’s been playing brilliantly, in the lead by a number of shots, then he plays a shot that wipes out the lead he possessed. How frustrating that must be to him. So how does he cope with this and still win?
- Like many sports players, Rory gains help from a sports psychologist. Bob Rotella is the man who has helped him win the Grand Slam of victories in the 4 major tournaments, the ultimate golfing accolade. Key to Bob’s advice is the concept of coping with mistakes. Bob states that we all make mistakes. Life is like that. Life isn’t perfect. We aren’t perfect. We need to accept this. So, when Rory makes a bad putt or a drive into the woods, Bob tells him to accept it. He can’t change it, rewind the shot. It’s done, so move on. All that matters is the next shot. Bob has trained Rory to leave the past behind, rather than let it increase his nervousness or confidence, and to focus totally on the future. That’s good advice.
- Let’s think for a moment about how much of our lives are affected by memories of past failures, mistakes or miscalculations. These can affect our self-confidence, our emotional mood, our ability to perform. We’re tempted to avoid situations, to not have another go, to give in and give up. Bob Rotella’s advice to Rory McIlroy is good advice: accept what has happened, leave it in the past, move on.
- Unfortunately, for many of us it isn’t as easy as that. Memories have a habit of creeping up on us and reminding us of our inadequacies and mistakes, of how we’ve let others down or hurt them deeply. Other people also have a habit of reminding us of what we have done wrong. Some take pleasure in doing this. Others seek revenge. The past can be very difficult to leave behind. Often we need a little more help than that provided by Bob Rotella. It is always good to seek advice and help when we need it.
Time for reflection
Saint Paul uses a sporting metaphor to say something similar to Bob Rotella. Comparing himself to an athlete, he says he forgets what’s behind him and does his best to reach for what is ahead. He sprints towards the finishing line in order to win the prize. The difference is that he’s doing this with an additional resource. Paul believes that Jesus has already inscribed his name on the gold medal he’s pressing towards. Paul’s faith in Jesus gives him the confidence and the attitude of mind to leave past failures behind and move forward. The guilt, regret and sense of failure he once felt has been lifted from him by faith in Jesus.
Some of us have faith that helps us in difficult situations. Christians believe that our past can be forgiven and a fresh start is available for all. Maybe today we are struggling and need some help. Maybe we need an additional resource to lift the weight of the past from our shoulders. Sometimes we need to ask for help.
Make the students aware of resources in school which may help them in a time of need.
