The Long Wait
“Be still, and I know that I am God”
During the summer of 2003, I qualified for the Florida Open after shooting 72 on Rolling Oaks Golf Course at World Woods in Brooksville, Florida. The State Open that year was being held in south Florida on two fantastic golf courses, Loblolly Pines and Sailfish Point Country Club. A few weeks prior to the tournament, I made a separate trip south from Orlando to get in an extra practice round. I also increased my training time, hitting balls for hours a day in the Florida heat as well as refining my touch around the greens. I was ready both physically and mentally and confident for the challenge ahead.
The four-day tournament was played on the two venues with a 36-hole cut. My first round was at Loblolly. I remember my warm-up session vividly. I literally did not miss a shot, and the confidence that was growing in my mind began to wrestle with the nervousness in the pit of my stomach. The first hole is a short par-4. During the early 2000s, I had a 3-wood that was my best friend. I could hit it between 260 to 270 off the tee and consistently much straighter than my driver, which loved to go 300 yards but not always straight. The first-tee nerves along with the hole layout called for the 3-wood, but I must admit, my swing felt slightly different than what I had remembered from the range. I did get the opening tee shot into play, but it was not my best. I managed to dig my ball out from the thick rough onto the front of the green and walked away with a two- putt par.
Normally, my nerves after playing the first hole are but a vast memory, but not that day. The accelerated walk with my caddie to the next hole led to an unexpected wait, and the teacher in me started taking over. “What happened to the swing that was on the driving range?” I thought to myself. After a wait of more than 10 minutes on the par-3 second hole, and a quick swing critique, I hit a horrible iron shot and made double bogey. I then followed up with another bogey, and my pre-round confidence had turned into a mental golf clinic, with yours truly as both student and coach. I was now three over par.
It was time for the player in my split personality to step up to the plate. I forgot about my swing and started focusing on my target. Next hole—birdie! Then a few pars and then another birdie, and I made the turn at one over. On number 10, I hit a beautiful iron shot and made another birdie, and suddenly I was back to even par. I was now on my second life, and my en- tire mindset had changed. I was ready to go low, plus I had two birdie holes ahead! The first one was a reachable par-5 that was immediately followed by a drivable par-4. But, as my caddie and I approached the number 12 tee box, we saw an unexpected sight—a sea of humanity.
I counted five groups of players ahead of our group, plus their caddies, all waiting to tee off. The players were forced to wait because most of the field was going for both greens (the par-5 in two shots and the par-4 in one) trying to make eagle, forcing all groups to wait for the players to clear the green.
This unusual situation created a massive logjam, the likes of which I have never seen. The wait on both holes took almost an hour. During this time, my true personality as both a player and man became transparent, revealing one of my greatest weaknesses. That day, the game of golf exposed a chink in my armor, one that would not be addressed until years later, through the agony of time spent during the long wait.
As an adult who has started the back nine of my life, I have finally realized that I am not a patient person. So, a few years ago, I made a conscious decision to pray about my weakness and asked God for help in this area.
They say in life to “be careful what you ask for”—I now understand that quote completely. God began immediately testing me. No matter what I did in my career, my personal relationships or living situations, God made me wait. The Bible is full of stories where God asked His children to wait. I love reading stories from the Bible about others waiting for God’s promise to come to fruition, but I wanted no part of that test in my life. I wanted God to do the work overnight, so that I could receive my rewards now!
In the Bible, God prepared Moses for 40 years as a shepherd. His preparation for Moses was not in vain or a punishment or his lot in life. God used this preparatory time to refine Moses as well as teach him to be a leader. God tested Moses’ patience. One of the greatest lessons I have learned through my personal long wait is that it’s not the amount of time God makes you wait that matters; it’s the attitude we wait with that is the key to passing His test.
I now wait in expectation for the Lord. During the Florida Open, I waited as a golf teacher. I got upset and waited in frus- tration because I had prepared as a player but had not factored in a one-hour wait. I failed the test that day.
I now pray into the future. I thank God for answering my prayers before they have been answered because I know in the future He will, even if the answer is not what I want to hear. I also know that Jesus is like a faithful caddie, standing right by my side, ready to listen. Sometimes in life, God answers our prayers by taking away the idols that we as humans often rely on (money, talent, success, etc.), so that we will be still, know that He is God, and allow Him to lead. God knows my future. He is currently standing there, even as He stands with me today. So why would I not trust Him?
After the long wait, I parred the next two holes and shot 77, and the next day I shot 79 to miss the cut. Although I left south Florida disappointed, I learned a valuable lesson. I may not lead a nation from captivity in my lifetime, like Moses, or win the state Open, but God does have a plan for me. If you face a long wait in your life, like a pandemic or financial hardship, remember, God is standing on your future, and the long wait is no surprise to Him.
In the end, the greatest lesson I learned from the long wait is that it is better to miss the cut than to miss an opportunity to stand still with the Lord, trust and know that my future is in His hands.