Victory in Defeat..

   Last week before the Master's began on Thursday, I read a couple of posts on Facebook that touted the Christian faith of Bubba Watson and Jordan Spieth. Good reads, both, and the commitment to Jesus prominent in both men.

   I have followed both for awhile now and have been impressed about how each handle themselves on the golf course, and how they handle the fame of their success.

   I watched Jordan as he worked his way around the course on Days 1,2 and 3 and most of the day on Sunday. The flowers were blooming..

   Then came No. 12

      Tee shot into the creek

      then a drop and another shot into the same creek

      then another drop and a shot into the trap behind the green

      then, mercifully, finally, a big 7 on the score card

   The morning paper on Monday would call it a "collapse". It must have been devastating for him. I know it was painful to watch on the TV.

   To Jordan's credit, he came back to make 2 more birdies in the final holes to finish 2 strokes behind the winner. He did not quit.

   The days ahead will be a new chapter, a different type of existence, for this talented golfer.

   The world has watched as he handled success well, now they will get to see him handle disappointment, and that process will probably say more about his Christian witness than all the green jackets he can stuff into his closet.

   I pray that people will see how a real Christian handles his circumstances, and I pray for Jordan Spieth that he will be the role model for others looking at his life, that God will be his guide in all of this.

   It may not be easy, but he can do it,

   And those flowers will bloom again.