“…everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” (Isaiah 43:7, NIV)
Golden nuggets.
Have you ever been sitting with someone “a little further down the road” and realized that what was being spoken was absolutely profound? Maybe this was someone in your line of work who had years of experience and mentored you. I think of Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book as containing many golden nuggets for the game of golf.
Last month at the Web.Com event in Raleigh, NC, Paul Stankowski (aka Stanko), a two-time winner on the PGA Tour, offered up some golden nuggets to local collegiate players over a meal together. Stanko revealed his thoughts about his quick rise to the brink of greatness in the mid- to late-1990s, then pointed out a moment where he made a prideful statement. After referencing his statement, he detailed how his golf career slowly started to decline and how his health issues led to several surgeries from 2003 to 2008.
Paul shared golden nuggets regarding chasing your dreams with passion, working your tail off, and bluntly he told the young golfers, “If you’re not good enough, go get a job.” The underlying theme of the old pro’s words revealed a heart committed to God. Stanko proclaimed over and over that whatever happens is “for my good and God’s glory.” He said, “If I win a golf tournament, that is for my good and God’s glory. If I miss the cut, that is for my good and God’s glory. Whatever happens, good or bad, is for my good and God’s glory.”
Golden nuggets. Today’s verse, Isaiah 43:7, speaks of God calling us and creating us for his glory. I thank the Lord that he made faithful men like Paul Stankowski to be a living testimony of God’s faithfulness in good times and in bad. In honesty, Paul revealed how he did not desire to be at the dinner that night. He wanted to stay in his hotel room and get room service because he was tired. His bride told him to go and encourage those college guys. He went.
A graying beard, a leathery face from years in the sun, stories of both greatness and despair…”For my good and for God’s glory.” Golden nuggets.
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Korky Kemp
July 5, 2013
Copyright 2013 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.