May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13, NIV)
There were times during the recent U.S. Adaptive Open that Alex Fourie found himself crying out to God. This game can be maddening, especially in the heat of competition.
But then Fourie reminded himself that he was outdoors on a Wednesday playing golf among friends, and not in Ukraine, where he spent the first seven years of his life in orphanages.
“I have to be reminded that perspective is everything,” he said, “and attitude is the most important club in the bag.”
To keep that perspective front and center, all Fourie had to do was glance over at Luke, a young boy with one hand who came out and followed him for nine holes during the final round at Pinehurst No. 6.
“If we can make one person’s day,” said Fourie, “that’s kind of our job out here.”
Fourie, a PGA teaching pro and roofer, was born with one arm and a cleft lip and cleft palate that he believes could have resulted from being born near Chernobyl, site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster. Adopted by South African missionaries who were serving in the U.S., he now lives in Tennessee with his wife and daughter.
Fourie raises funds for his war-torn homeland by selling T-shirts through his charity, Single Hand Golf, to help the children who are living in the orphanage where he grew up in Cherkasy.
Fourie’s hope is in Christ, and whether he’s anxious about events unfolding in Ukraine or his next golf shot, he turns to his faith to calm the storm.
“God is not a god of chaos,” he said. “In my heart and in my head, I ask Him to calm everything down.” As Peter reminds us, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
PRAYER: Father God, we thank you for guiding us through the storms of life. We thank you that we have a purpose in this world that’s far greater than ourselves, and that through sport, we can build connections and tell people about our risen Savior.