The Open Championship (The British Open) has already begun for the 146th time, and this year’s tournament is taking place at Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England.
Many will have their eyes on Spieth, Rory, Phil, and Koepka, but one of the most intriguing storylines involves the 36-year-old Englishman, Justin Rose.
Birkdale represents a key moment in his life and golf career, as it was the place he finished tied for fourth as a 17-year-old amateur during the 1998 British Open - just one shot behind Tiger Woods.
We know that once a golfer puts together an impressive tournament, especially during a major, fans and media place high expectations on him to be the next big thing.
However, despite the remarkable week he had when first bursting on the scene at Birkdale, Rose didn’t end up handling the pressure very well. In fact, once he turned pro, he missed his first 21 cuts.
Not being able to live up to the hype, and struggling like he did, must have been very difficult. But Rose stuck with it, and eventually won his first major (the U.S. Open at Merion) in 2013.
Mark Cannizzaro wrote in the New York Post, “It took breaking through at Merion to allow those old raw feelings from the disastrous start as a pro to bubble to the surface after Rose had kept them down for all those years, choosing not to talk about his confidence crash that came with all those consecutive missed cuts.”
After not wanting to talk about it for so long, Rose finally opened up after his important U.S Open win:
“It was a pretty traumatic start to my pro career. I’ve never really talked about it because you don’t want to admit to that being the case, but I think when you’ve got past something you can talk openly about it. And it’s sort of in the moment like this, can you talk about how I feel like I’ve come full circle confidence wise and game-development wise.”
Rose now has another chance to reconcile with the course that put him in the spotlight early on, and another opportunity to talk openly about the role it played in his career.
Each of us have key moments in our lives that are hard to talk about because of the painful or regretful feelings they produce. But, when we are made new by the grace and power of Jesus Christ, our past can be viewed with a different perspective.
We can look back at our upsetting moments and early struggles, and recognize what we’ve overcome...and point to God’s transforming work in us.
Although we should spend more time talking about who we are today and where we’re heading, and not dwell on our past, there is value in sharing our story and revealing the scars that remind us of who we once were before Jesus rescued us.
By being open and honest with others, we can bring God glory and show them what He can do.
Once a golfer wins a major he begins to see his struggles differently, and is more comfortable talking about his difficult past. Similarly, when we encounter Jesus, we can see our past with a new perspective.
Paul, in the Bible, is a great example of this. He had a powerful conversion and writes in Galatians 1:13-16(NLT) about who He was before meeting Jesus:
"You know what I was like when I followed the Jewish religion—how I violently persecuted God’s church. I did my best to destroy it. I was far ahead of my fellow Jews in my zeal for the traditions of my ancestors.
"But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by His marvelous grace. Then it pleased Him to reveal His Son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles…”
Just like Paul, let’s be encouraged to share the gospel of Jesus Christ by allowing our difficult pasts to show God’s marvelous grace and glory.
Imagine the impact we could have if we talked openly about our own transformation...and how the scars now remind us of victory!
I’m Bryce Johnson and you can unpack that!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I’m thankful for who I am today, and I’m so glad I no longer have to be who I once was. I pray that I’d have a healthy view of my past, and use it to point others to You, so they can see Your grace and glory. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.
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