“Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:3-4)
Don’t Dwell on the Past
Jordan Spieth’s final round at this year’s Open Championship could have been an absolute disaster. He bogeyed three of the first four holes and his three-stroke lead over Matt Kuchar vanished. Still tied with Kuchar as they came to the thirteenth hole, Spieth’s tee shot went a good 100 yards right of the fairway, landing on a sand dune.
Instead of panicking, Spieth calmly discussed his options with the rules officials. After around 15 minutes of deliberation, he finally took his shot and miraculously came away with a bogey, even after being assessed a penalty stroke.
What happened next was the stuff of legend. Trailing by one stroke after Kuchar made par, Spieth played the next four holes at five under par, thanks to three birdies and an eagle at 15. Somehow, what looked to be a memorable collapse had turned into a comfortable three-stroke victory to give Spieth his third major championship.
The perseverance that Jordan Spieth showed on the golf course is a great reminder for us as Christians. He could have very easily unraveled and allowed what had happened on previous holes ruin the rest of his round but chose not to dwell on the past and focus on the next shot instead.
We are not perfect and are going to mess up as we go through our walk with Christ. While it is important that we accept responsibility for our mistakes and try to learn from them, we can’t get too frustrated with ourselves and let one mistake lead to another.
The beauty of God’s grace is that it’s not something that it’s not something we can earn. Sometimes, we feel like we’ve done something so bad that we feel like God will never forgive us. We forget that God loves us despite our flaws and will never abandon us.
When it comes to sin, we need to ask for forgiveness, learn and grow from our mistakes, and then focus on the future, not the past.
– Joshua Doering
