by Dale Reeves
Story Pastor
A few weekends ago at Augusta National Golf Club, Sam Bennett, a senior golfer at Texas A & M University, finished 16th in his first ever Masters Tournament. He claimed the Silver Cup for lowest-scoring amateur in this year’s tourney. His mother Stacy said there were “big, big, big tears” from Sam on the 18th green that afternoon.
Bennett commented, “From growing up as a kid watching this tournament to losing my dad to the struggles I’ve faced and still face, to be able to walk up to that green on 18 on a Sunday, Easter Sunday, and just to be appreciative of everything, I thought, if you had told me I was going to be here when I was a kid, I would have thought you were crazy.” He will be at the US Open and Open Championship later this year, and it is just a matter of time before he turns professional.
Bennett’s father was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s at the age of 45. He died from the disease in 2021. Before his death, in a moment of clarity, he gave his son some advice that so inspired him that Sam asked his mother to help his father write it down. Sam recalled that it “took him fifteen minutes because we had to show him how to write out every letter.” It was the last thing his dad would write. Here are the five words he wanted to pass on to him: “Don’t wait to do something.” After Sam’s father died, he wanted a tangible way to remember him, so he took that piece of paper his dad had written those words on and he had those five words tattooed on his left forearm so that he would look at it whenever he was playing golf: “Don’t wait to do something.” Sam wanted those words to stick with him forever.
That’s pretty solid advice for us on living with no regrets. This past Sunday, our senior minister, Brad Wilson, began a new teaching series on the topic of habits in our lives—both good and bad. If you missed Brad’s sermon last Sunday on pride, you can check it out here.
Don’t Go It Alone
Sam Bennett has been honest about some of his mental health struggles, and has been intentional about building a strong inner circle of support around him. His coach at Texas A & M, Brian Kortan, stepped up as a huge support for him after his father’s death. Kortan also lost his father at a young age. Brian was his caddy at the Masters. Sam’s mom, Stacy, commented, “Coach helps him to level out and be calm, teaching him how to calm that anxiety. He’s really just a rock.” With a great support system around him, there’s nowhere for Sam Bennett to go but up, fulfilling the potential that is demanded in the last words his father challenged him with.
One of the brothers of Jesus instructs us in James 4:17, “If anyone knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” These have often been known not as sins of “commission,” but as sins of “omission.” And we all are guilty of not doing what we should do almost every day, aren’t we? We so often have good intentions, but the busyness of life, distractions, and excuses often hijack our good intentions—whether they concern reading God’s Word, having meaningful times of conversation with him, getting the help we need, or doing something good in service to others who cannot pay us back.
Don’t Put it Off
Doing the next right thing and surrounding ourselves with a good support system are also key coping skills for dealing with setbacks and losses that we all experience in our lives. That’s why I am excited to lead an upcoming Grief Recovery Method class the next eight weeks in our church building. When we talk about dealing with losses, most people think of the death of a loved one, or a divorce. But losses also include things like moving when we were growing up, losing a pet, losing trust in someone, a loss of innocence, a life-altering disease or physical disability, losing a job, or retiring from work.
If you or someone you know would benefit from this eight-week journey of Grief Recovery, you can register for this class here.
It is a myth that “Time heals all wounds.” That is simply not true, but learning how to process through grief and surrounding yourself with a caring community certainly can help. One of my favorite descriptions that Dr. Luke gives us about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is this: “He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him” (Acts 10:38, NIV).
Jesus set the perfect example for us in doing the right thing, going about and doing good for others. He tells us we can do the right thing as well when we have God with us and choose to follow his leading. This year’s Masters low amateur has a growing pro golf career lying in front of him. What is that next thing God is calling you to? Don’t wait—do it now!