All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. (Acts 1:14, NIV)
As the LPGA Tour season wound down in late fall, one of the more enjoyable stories was that of Ally Ewing, who won her first Tour event at Reynolds Lake Oconee in October, then finished second at the Tour’s next stop three weeks later. Suddenly, the late addition to the 2019 Solheim Cup’s US team jumped to third in points for the 2021 team.
We tell Ewing’s story in a new article on our website this week, which includes one of the more daunting seasons in her life when, just after she qualified to play the LPGA Tour in 2017, she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. It’s a pronouncement that comes with a dose of fear and a demand of change. With two and a half months before that season started, Ewing had time to start working in the necessary adjustments to her life, with considerations of diet, exercise, and medication all coming into play.
At Christian community’s height, we hold each other’s sorrows and joys as if they are our own.What Ewing was to find out along the way was that she was now part of a community. She had always had this in the game, of course, but now there were others who shared the common adaptations and experiences of diabetic living. They reached out to her, wanting to meet her at Tour stops. “I had a lot of people reach out to me in the Type 1 diabetes community after that win, in support,” she said, “also asking questions if they had a child who was trying to be an athlete with Type 1 diabetes. So that was really cool and definitely shows you that the Type 1 diabetes community is really strong and lean on support from everyone they can.”
If you will be interacting with this devotion and study today in one of the groups we call Links Fellowships, you understand the value of connection with those who are like-minded. While we must remind ourselves that the doors of Christ’s church are open to any who would enter, we know that there is added value in learning and praying with those who walk a path similar to our own. At Christian community’s height, we hold each other’s sorrows and joys as if they are our own.
For all the things we can encourage you to do individually in a new year, we might emphasize what you do together with other believers all the more. These friends may also be golfers, pickle ballers, joggers, you name it. From that common ground you come together to higher ground, devoting yourselves to the support of one another as you pursue the excellence of Jesus.
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Jeff Hopper
January 8, 2021
Copyright 2021 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.