So, yesterday was the Super Bowl; pretty much the biggest sporting event each year in the United States. The game itself was ho-hum, in my opinion, with all the drama coming in the closing minutes. I did enjoy the junk food fest with a few friends. Earlier on Sunday afternoon there was another sporting event which had my full attention. I am one of “those people” who enjoys watching golf on TV. I know I’ve heard all the lame jokes regarding watching golf as comparable to watching paint dry or as painful as a visit to the dentist. Yesterday’s Phoenix Open, being played in brilliant desert sunshine and warmth, contained much more drama than the Super Bowl. In the closing holes of his final round, Kyle Stanley, tied the leader and eventually won his very first PGA event. Winning your first anything is always huge, but what made Stanley’s victory so sweet was the brutal defeat he suffered the week before. Playing in San Diego, on a course I’ve personally had the privilege of playing, he was on the final hole of the 72-hole tournament. Stanley had a three-shot lead and was only a short distance away from the hole. There was a pond between Stanley and the green, a pond which I experienced when I played Torrey Pines, but it wasn’t a difficult shot for someone of his skill level. I don’t know what the actual odds would be, but I’m guessing he could avoid the water 99 times out of 100, under normal circumstances. Stanley lofted his shot high into the air, when it landed on the green just beyond the hole the backspin caused the ball to roll backwards passing the hole and eventually rolling 40-feet into the water. The shock to Stanley was so significant he eventually lost the tournament. In the post-round interview Stanley was deeply shaken to the point of tears. Yes, golf will reduce grown men to tears.
What a difference a week makes! I think what I loved so much about Stanley’s victory yesterday was how he was able to comeback from such a devastating, disappointing and even embarrassing defeat. I believe there’s a huge lesson for all of us in Stanley’s accomplishment. In case you haven’t noticed, life has a way of dealing all of us our share of difficult circumstances and setbacks. Some people seem to get more than their fair share. The decisions we make when life is hard is what, in my experience, most determines the trajectory of our future. Anyone can play a good hand of cards, but winners are those who can play a bad hand well. After his meltdown in San Diego, Stanley could have disappeared for a few weeks. He could have allowed the bitterness of the loss to infect and injure his state of mind, and cause long-term damage to his psyche. This week Stanley once again shed tears, but this time they were tears of joy, as he experienced the thrill of victory.
There is no defeat so great, no setback so severe, the Holy Spirit can’t rescue and restore you to a place of victory. I love the strong encouragement which comes to all of us from Romans 8:11 NIV “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as he raised Christ from the dead, he will give life to your mortal body by this same Spirit living within you.” rist, the Holy Spirit is living within you. This is the same Spirit that called out to a dead Jesus lying in a garden tomb on a Sunday morning nearly 2000 years ago. I don’t know the exact words which the Spirit spoke to Jesus, or that it’s even important, but I do know the Spirit is speaking to you and I today. He’s speaking words of encouragement, peace, strength, hope and life. The Spirit of God is seeking to raise you up to a new place of victory and overcoming. Your tears of despair are about to become tears of joy.
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