At 24 years old, Justin Thomas didn’t wait long to become a major champion, but his patience during last year's PGA Championship at Quail Hollow did help him secure the Wanamaker Trophy.
With the 2018 PGA Championship teeing off today at Bellerive Country Club, in St. Louis, MO, and before watching to see who pulls off the win this year, I'd like to unpack Justin Thomas' first major win at the PGA a year ago.
Thomas started the final round two behind the leader, Kevin Kisner, and ultimately inched his way up the leaderboard finishing strong with a 3-under 68 and a 2 stroke victory.
Patience turned out to be a key factor in his win, and after the tournament, he said, “I just stayed patient and knew scores were not going to be crazy low.”
Golfers know you don’t win a tournament by forcing it or by having a hurried approach. Instead, a consistent and patient strategy enables them to be in contention at the end.
One of the most obvious and exciting ways patience helped Thomas was hitting an 8-foot putt and the ball remaining stuck on the lip of the 10th hole for 12 seconds.
Instead of rushing over to tap it in the hole, Thomas waited until the ball finally fell in. Then, of course, the crowd went crazy!
The theme of patience even affected Thomas’ girlfriend. Confident he could win, he asked her to postpone her 7 PM flight so she could be there for the festivities. If she hadn't decided to wait until the end of the tournament to catch her flight, she would have missed this memorable experience.
As we look at how patience benefited Justin Thomas’ big win at the PGA, I’m reminded how important, and yet difficult, it is to have a similar approach in our own lives.
Most of the time we want to rush things and quickly “tap the ball in.” But when we choose patience, there is an opportunity for tremendous blessing.
When we get too anxious and eager about accepting or leaving a job…or getting married…or moving to a new area…or responding to conflict in a relationship, we can easily make the wrong decision and create more problems for ourselves.
However, when we place our faith and trust in God to give us the strength to exercise patience, we can make wise decisions that lead to fruitfulness in our lives.
The following scripture reminds us not to get ahead of God’s plan or try to rush the process:
Romans 12:12 (ESV) tells us to “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”
Romans 8:25 (ESV) explains, “But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”
Galatians 6:9 (ESV) says, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up.”
Today, as we remember how Justin Thomas won by playing with patience, let's find victory by praying with patience. Let's face our own delays, struggles, and frustrations with patience rooted in the goodness and faithfulness of God.
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can unpack that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I don’t like having to wait for anything, but I pray You would give me the strength to do so because I know there is fruit in the delay and blessings at the end. My hope and trust are in You. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.
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