Whether you play golf or not, you surely know the name Tiger Woods. So bear with me. This week's article (from FAX of Life) isn't so much about golf as life.

Almost a month ago now, Tiger outlasted Rocco Mediate in this year's U.S. Open. Playing the course at Torrey Pines in San Diego, the two were tied after four days. They were still tied at the end of an 18-hole playoff. Tiger won on the first sudden death hole. Some say it was the greatest U.S. Open in history.

No, the score wasn't the lowest ever. No, it wasn't won by an eagle from the fairway. No, there was no miracle shot that ended things. The miracle was that the man who won was able to complete the competition.

Tiger Woods played the tournament with a torn anterior cruciate ligament and two stress fractures below the left knee. As I watched part of the Open on TV, it was obvious that the world's greatest golfer was in excruciating pain at times. His powerful swing would contort his whole body, wrench his injured knee in particular, and register quite dramatically on his ordinarily poised face.

Golf is only a game, but watching a professional athlete compete through such pain was inspiring. He could have simply withdrawn because of the injury. Fans would have been disappointed but would have understood. He could have played to his pain and hit the ball less aggressively. He might have fallen back into the pack and taken a high score and low finish. He would have none of it.

Tiger played through his pain. He wouldn't quit. He gave his best on every hole. He insisted on playing to his full potential -- even when that potential was putting both his body and mind under incredible stress. Hooray for him!

The winner of this year's U.S. Open had successful reconstructive surgery on his damaged knee about ten days later. He will miss the remainder of this year's PGA tournament events, of course, while he rehabs the knee. But few people doubt he will be ready to play the tour next year. He is, after all, Tiger Woods. He is the ultimate competitor. He doesn't quit.

There are pains of all kinds. Physical trauma, broken relationships, failed ventures, consequences of wrongs done -- all are different and all the same. And each of us has to decide about quitting, playing to the pain, or working through.

As you're deciding what to do with yours, think about why so many people are speaking of Tiger Woods with such admiration these days -- even the folks like me, who hardly know which end of a golf club to hold.

True courage isn't just outlasting difficulty, but turning it into triumph.

© Used by permission. From Rubel Shelly's "FAX of Life" printed each Tuesday. See Faith Matters for previous issues of the "FAX of Life."

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Rubel Shelly preached for the Woodmont Hills Churchin Nashville for thirty years. He is the author of more than 20 books. He has accepted the position of President of Rochester College. For more details, click here or here to email.

Website: RubelShelly.com

Life sometimes throws us a curve. You thought you had it figured out. You thought you had done it all right. You thought you knew where you were headed. Then, seemingly out of the blue, something comes along that changes everything and causes you to question people, faith, and the very foundations of life. So, you ask, "Now what? Where do I go from here?"

You have worked so hard to get to this point in life. Made wise decisions. Did not make too many really foolish mistakes. You saved and didn't squander what you had. Then, the shocker! The illness. Everything changes. You ask, "Now what? Where do I go from here?"

You prayed to be good parents. You did it all right. You read everything James Dobson ever wrote. You went to conferences. You attended seminars. You asked the wisest people you knew for advice, and you followed it. Then your child reveals plans that contradict everything you believe. You ask, "Now what? Where do I go from here?"

You gave your life to the company. You sacrificed your personal life. You sacrificed your family. You sacrificed your health. You assumed, "They will take care of me." Then one day you get the news, "We're downsizing. Sorry, but you are out." You are stunned. You had no idea this was coming. You thought your job was secure. You ask, "Now what? Where do I go from here?"

Being single was never an option for you. Divorce was never in your vocabulary. You loved your life. That all changed one day when you discovered your spouse had been having an affair. When confronted, they admit it and say things like, "I haven't loved you for years. I've been unhappy for too long. I'm not sure I ever loved you." Then, they are gone. You are alone. You ask, "Now what? Where do I go from here?"

You have been "going to church" longer than you remember. Your parents took you with them the first Sunday after you were born. Church is all you've known. It's been your life. You were involved in the children's programs. You were active in the youth group. When you went to college you found a group that encouraged spiritual growth. But, one day you have a faith crisis. Things happen that seem wrong and make no sense. You begin to question everything you've been taught. The questions scare you. You ask, "Now what? Where do we go from here?"



"Now what? Where do I go from here?" A haunting question! It is a frightening place to be. No answers. Everything is uncertain. Where do you go from here?

There is an answer. There is a place.

The disciples of Jesus found themselves in a similar position:

On hearing it, many of his disciples said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"

Aware that his disciples were grumbling about this, Jesus said to them, "Does this offend you? What if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before! The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him. He went on to say, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled him."

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.

"You do not want to leave too, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.

Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God" (John 6:60-69 NIV).

Peter's statement is key when life falls apart. "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." That faith is what enabled Peter to recover after his failure. That faith enabled Peter to speak of Jesus against the strongest of opposition. That faith enabled Peter to write to us about standing firm in a hostile world. That faith enabled Peter to give his life for Jesus.

When life caves in on us we must believe what Peter believed: "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God." That faith is what will sustain us when life falls apart, when people disappoint us, when people hurt us, when church fails us, and when we make horrible mistakes.

If you find yourself asking, "Now what? Where do I go from here?" The answer is this, "Lord, You have the words of eternal life. I believe and know that you are the Holy One of God. I will go with You!"

Go to the One who has the words of eternal life. Go to the Holy One of God. Go to Jesus.

© Tom Norvell. Used by permission. A Norvell Note is a weekly email message from Tom Norvell. Check it out!

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Tom Norvell is the author of "A Norvell Note." He ministers at the East Brainerd Church of Christ in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Website: A Norvell Note

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