Weekly Words

The Power of “Next”

Recently, I was given a book entitled “Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect.” Since my attempts at golf have already made me painfully aware of this fact, and because I believe golf is a lot like life, I began reading as soon as I could. Dr. Bob Rotella, a respected and renowned Sports psychologist, writes with Bob Cullen to give insights and ideas to help readers with the mental aspect of their golf game. As I suspected, there is so much in the book that is relevant to and reflective of life.

In the first chapter, a chapter devoted to discussing dreams, a very powerful point is made by the example of two golfers. One such golfer is none other than the golf legend (from the great state of Texas by the way) Byron Nelson. Looking back on his career, Nelson realized what made him great when he was great. He said when he was a young player he dreamed of owning a ranch, and every time he played he was playing to buy property, fence it, build a house on it, furnish the house, build barns and corrals, fill them with animals, hire someone to care for it while he was touring, then stash money aside to take care of it forever. Interestingly, once his dream was realized and the ranch was all paid for, Nelson said, “I pretty much stopped playing. I was all but done as a competitive player.”

The other golfer, Pat Bradley, was inspired by a detailed dream to “win more … win majors … be Player of the Year at least once …. And be in the LPGA Hall of Fame.” This requires winning at least thirty tournaments and one of them a major, making it one of the hardest Hall of Fame’s to enter. She told these dreams to Dr. Rotella in the early 80’s, and in 1991 she was inducted into the Hall of Fame. At the very induction ceremony she approached Dr. Rotella, who was there to support her, and said, “Where do we go from here? Bob, we’ve got to find a new dream. What’s next?”

Both of these stories in some form speak to the necessity of a “next” in our lives. Byron Nelson realized that his competitive edge left and his reign on top of the golf world ended because he did not have a next in his mind. On the other hand, Pat Bradley illustrates that it is never too early to begin thinking about what is next. Whether we are dealing with failure, on the stage of success, or stuck in the middle, the progress of our lives and the growth of our spirituality demand that we have a sense of next. Without it, our drive can be drained, our cause can be crippled, and our strength can be sapped. The idea of “next,” gives us the fuel to keep fighting and the motivation to keep moving.

In Philippians 3:13-14, after Paul has reflected on his socio-religious accomplishments, he says, “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal…” This is what the power of “next” does for us. In the face of failures that may have suffocated our spirit, or success that may have taken away our drive, “next” gives us the amnesia we need to get excited and focus on what God has for us in our future. So no matter how many times you have fallen or how many goals you have already reached, you should always ask yourself, “What’s next?”

Humbly in Christ’s Love,
Pastor B.A. Jackson