“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will grant to eat from the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7, NASB)
In 2011-12, Patrick Cantlay was the No.1-ranked amateur golfer in the world for a record-setting 54 consecutive weeks. His amateur career included low-am finishes at the U.S. Open and Masters and just about every college and amateur award imaginable—all by the end of his sophomore year at UCLA.
Cantlay turned pro after that season. In 2013, he won his second tournament on the Korn Ferry Tour, before suffering a severe back injury while warming up on the range at the Colonial; he “felt like a knife had been stuck in my back.” Patrick would only be able to play a total of nine tournaments over the next three years, while trying to overcome what eventually was diagnosed as a stress fracture in his L5 vertebrae.
In addition to the physical struggles, in 2016, his best friend, high school teammate, and caddie, Chris Roth, was killed in a hit-and-run accident while the two were crossing a street in Newport Beach, California.
Almost four years after his injury and a year after his tragic loss, Cantlay returned to the PGA Tour on a medical extension. He finished runner-up in just his second event of the season, the Valspar Championship, earning him fully exempt status on the PGA Tour. By the end of the season, he became the first player since Tiger Woods to reach the Tour Championship in 12 or fewer events.
Over and over again in Scripture we see that the ones who persevere and remain steadfast in the Lord no matter the obstacles are the true victors.
Since his successful return in 2017, Cantlay has quietly racked up six PGA Tour wins, but when he outdueled the last two US Open Champions, Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm, in consecutive weeks to win the $15 million Fed/Ex Cup, he really got the golf-world’s attention.
Our personal stories of pain and suffering don’t always have this type of noteworthy success, nor do they end after just a few years. You may even feel like you have a target on your back because once you have overcome one trial in life, another one pops out from behind the next corner—or, even worse, they just pile on top of each other.
I don’t know how it is determined in heaven who gets the smooth roads and who gets the bumpier paths; however, I do know that over and over again in Scripture we see that the ones who persevere and remain steadfast in the Lord no matter the obstacles are the true victors. “Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life… ‘He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death’” (Revelation 2:10-11).
Jesus told his followers that they would face trials, persecution, and martyrs’ deaths. He did not promise us an easy life, but he did promise abundant and eternal life. “Be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5).
After all, it is not the first death we should be concerned with, but as John wrote in Revelation, it is the “second death” that we really want to avoid!
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Josh Nelson
September 15, 2021
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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