Daily Devotionals
Devotional: May 31st
I started following professional sports before I started public school. I have personally witnessed a number of amazing feats and fascinating happenings. I saw the Russian defeat of the American Olympic basketball team when it took three clock resets to accomplish it. I saw Mark McGwire hit number 62, Cal Ripken Jr. play in number 2,131.
I have also seen some things that just baffle the mind and make one ask oneself, "Did I just see that?" Jim Marshall's return of a fumble for the Minnesota Vikings against the San Francisco 49ers the wrong way stands out. As does the infamous fly ball that hit Jose Canseco in the head and bounced over the fence for a home run. Those were just rewards for poor play. But what happened to Charles Howell III yesterday in The Buick Invitational is just plain wrong.
Howell, one of the young guns of the PGA Tour, was making a run for the lead late in the tournament. He narrowly missed three birdie attempts and arrived at the 18th hole barely off the lead. The 18th is a par five at Torrey Pines South Course and Howell had played it almost perfectly to record a birdie. He hit a solid tee shot, laid up short of the water and then readied himself to go to the green. What happened next boggles the mind.
The announcers had just remarked that for Howell to have a chance at the win he had to go right at the flag. When Howell swung in the next moments he did just that. He hit the ball right at the hole. The ball hit in the cup on the fly and then bounced back out toward the water. In golf parlance that would be the "rub of the green." What should have been wasn't. But this is a game and not life.
King David was no stranger to the wrong thing happening. He well understood the principles of serving God. "Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday." Psalm 37:5, 6 Faithfulness to God will make the ultimate end that which it is supposed to be. The end? The faithful win.
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