If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:11, ESV)
I have no idea how many Moe Norman stories I’ve heard, but there are more than a few. If half of them are true, this Canadian golf professional qualifies as a legend.
Many years ago, I saw him on the range at The World Golf Village surrounded by Tour Players guffawing as they marveled at his shot-making ability. They would call the shot, and Moe would execute it with precision.
To say Moe was eccentric would be an understatement. With a flair for bright clothes and a recognizable stutter, most would recognize later that Moe was autistic. Golf Digest observed, “Moe was Golf’s Rain Man.”
I have an old friend who has made it a habit of collecting and telling Moe Norman stories. Over the years, I would watch in amazement as he spoke in locker rooms with grown men hanging on every word. Some of these stories strike me as “tall tales,” but I prefer to believe them nonetheless.
One of these stories is about Moe being paired with Sam Snead in an exhibition match in Toronto. As the story goes, they were on a dogleg par four. There was a creek running diagonally across the fairway.
Sam laid up with a three-wood. Moe chose driver. Sam suggested a driver would land him in the creek. Moe stuttered, “Not aiming for the creek, aiming for the bridge,” Moe proceeded to roll it right across that sucker.
Of all the stories surrounding this legendary ball striker, the one that always tugs at my heartstrings is the one about Wally Uihlein, former CEO of Titleist and FootJoy, who provided Moe with a lifetime financial stipend and an endless supply of Titleist balls.
Moe would no longer have to sleep in his car. He could afford a hotel and buy his meals without worrying about money. Wally provided for Moe until he passed over the Great Divide.
Scripture contains many prominent themes, not the least of which is “the Father providing for his sons and daughters.” Of course, to get in on that, one has to become his son or daughter by giving one’s life to Jesus Christ.
When Moses led Israel out of Egypt, God would provide daily manna (bread) from heaven. Among the many things the wilderness (desert) journey was to teach them was the importance of depending daily on his provision.
By the time we arrive in the New Testament, Jesus says of himself that he is the “bread of heaven” that nourishes our lives with good things (John 6: 35). Jesus figuratively teaches us that the one who feeds on him will never die. By that, he means the one who looks to and depends on him will “live forever” (John 6: 48-51).
If we marvel at Wally’s generosity toward Moe, how much more should we marvel at the Father’s kindness and generosity? After all, according to the Biblical story, “Every good gift and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights….” (James 1: 17).
The unfathomable truth you and I could never imagine is not the immense amount of material provisions God has provided, even for those who disregard him, but that he gave us his Son to die and rise again on our behalf so we could be forgiven and live forever.
As Paul would later write, “He [the Father] who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).
That being the case, let’s ask and trust the Father to provide what we need to make a difference for him in this life!
Prayer: Jesus! Teach us to live in daily dependence on you!