And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.” (Luke 5:26, ESV)
People around the globe love stories. Stories allow us to pass traditions down to another generation, learn, and connect with others. One of my favorite things about sports is the stories they tell. The better we know the athletes, the more connected we feel and the more likely we are to cheer for them and celebrate their successes.
Take this past weekend with Gary Woodland and Brooke Henderson winning on the PGA and LPGA Tours. The golf stories were already incredible. Woodland won his first major, holding off the game’s Iron Man, Brooks Koepka, with some amazing shots over the closing holes. Meanwhile, Henderson became the all-time winningest professional Canadian golfer with nine professional wins, with her age, 21, matching her winning score of -21!
But let’s look beyond the golf, because the more you dig in and learn about these two players, you are sure to become an endearing fan.
For example, Woodland’s father’s heart stopped beating ten years ago while Gary was playing in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. But he was resuscitated and back on the premises for his son’s first major win Sunday. Did you know that his wife, Gabby, lost one of their twins in a pregnancy a few years ago and is again pregnant with twins? Gary’s first love is basketball, and it was only after playing Division II basketball for a year that he transferred to Kansas to play Division I golf. But maybe the most fun fact is that after his win, he FaceTimed with Amy Bockerstette, with whom he played a memorable sixteenth hole at the Waste Management Open earlier this year. That day she taught him to say, “I got this,” an expression he played on repeat in his head throughout Sunday’s round.
I pray we would become experts not only in the stories of ourselves, friends, and family members, but of our Savior, Jesus.As for Henderson, she has had nothing short of a spectacular career in her first four and a half years as a professional. Before her golf career took off, she was a figure skater turned hockey goalie, who learned to deal with pressure by making saves and how to bounce back from a goal being scored. She became the youngest winner of a professional event at 14 years, nine months, and three days (two days younger than Lydia Ko’s previous record). Her win on Sunday was her third victory on Father’s Day, which is fitting as her dad has been her only golf coach. Brooke’s golfing career has truly been a family affair with her sister, Brittany, being her caddie.
Gary and Brooke both have far more to their stories than what I just shared but knowing some of their story draws us in and makes us feel closer to them.
Our hunger for people’s stories is in our DNA and my encouragement to you today would be to take the time to know God’s story. A children’s Bible that serves adults well, too, is aptly titled “The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name.” Also, we see in the New Testament Jesus frequently spoke in parables (“a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson”). I pray we would become experts not only in the stories of ourselves, friends, and family members, but of our Savior, Jesus. May we cherish his words above all others. Let us see those parables and the life of Jesus with new hearts and eyes, today!
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Aimee Neff
June 20, 2019
Copyright 2019 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.
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