Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18, NASB)
I love the word durable when it comes to describing golfers. Bernhard Langer and Hale Irwin come to mind. Tournament golf becomes a brutal sport on the body and the mind.
I admire those who can play it well for a long period of time. Buster Cupit, a golf legend in Texas, recently went home to be with Jesus after 93 years. Buster shot a 65 when he was 84. His brother Jacky still plays. Jacky won the 1961 Canadian Open, and Buster finished second.
I admire men of faith who have endured hardship and life-and-death experiences. Maybe Paul is the poster child in the Bible. He was imprisoned, beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, and bitten by a snake. And he called these light and momentary troubles. He saw an eternal glory that far outweighs all these life and death issues.
Frank is a Links Player and attends one of our local Links Fellowships in Texas. We just celebrated his 80th birthday, but there is more to his story. He was run over by a car as a teenager, fell off a truck going 40 miles per hour, and survived a crash landing in an airplane with legendary football coach Grant Teaff and 40 other players while returning from a McMurray State Indians football game in college.
The survivors of the crash continue to meet and have named themselves the Brotherhood of Indians of Belly Landing Experts—B.I.B.L.E. Their verse is, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31, NASB)
Now is where I come into his life. We were in a Links Players Bible study, eating donuts. Frank took a bite and could not swallow, so he went to get a drink of water. We watched as he tried to drink, then fell backward into some furniture. He survived the fall but broke three ribs in the process.
As it turns out, the doctors discovered kidney cancer that would not have been found without the broken ribs. He survived kidney cancer and a new bout of prostate cancer. He is now cancer-free. I now see a man who loves Jesus more. He will call him home at just the right time, and Frank is prepared.
God never said our journey here would be without trials and tribulations, but He did say that our arrival when we get home would be worth it. We were built for something outside of this world.
If you ever doubt why you are here, don’t. If God were ready for you to be Home, you would be watching sunsets with Him right now. Don’t doubt your durability. Trust an enduring God.
Prayer – We are grateful for what you have given us and what we have been spared. We are thankful for all.