Sports Spectrum

Chris Couch was only 16 years old when he first qualified to play golf at its highest level—in a PGA Tour tournament. He was quickly declared the next great golfing prodigy and a certain success on the tour for years, if not decades, to come. Life, however, turned out to be more of a grind. Chris did not enjoy a sprint to success, but more of an endurance run that would take 16 years and 3 different stints on “mini-tours” where the travel is hard and the money is small. Tempted to quit, Couch persevered and finally, at age 32, became a Tour winner for the first time when he captured the New Orleans Open in a thrilling finish. His perseverance had paid off, but it had not been easy.

In his book A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, Bible teacher Eugene Peterson reminds us that the Christian life has much more in common with a marathon than with a 100-meter dash. Peterson says we are called to “the long run, something that makes life worth living.” With the grace and strength of Christ, we too can “run with endurance” this race of life (Heb.12:1). And, with our Lord Christ before us to help and encourage, we can learn, as Chris Couch did, that it’s always too soon to quit.

Bill Crowder, Sport Spectrum Chaplain