Paul said he knew “how to be abased and how to abound.”  Philippians 4 KJV.  He was able to be kept by faith on an even keel as he encountered the inevitable ups (resurrections) and downs (deaths) of life.  He had been “instructed” KJV (or “learned the secret” NASB).  He had been “initiated” into the paschal mystery of Christ crucified.  He was able to live in the creative tension between dyings and risings with Christ.  Gal 2:20; Luke 9:23-24; 1 Cor 15:31.  Suffering (deaths) activated the daily resurrections or born again renewals which bestowed upon his soul transformative power. When storms came into his life he knew how to faith through it toward the calm and rest on the shore of the other side.   Where is your faith in the stormy seas of life?  I wrestle with this as you do.  We all do. 

In golf, you hit some great shots, some decent and some terrible.  Unfairness comes to you.  Your ball hits a tree and kicks out of bounds.  Things happen to you that you don’t deserve.  People bother you.  The key is to keep the even keel in golf just as Paul did in life.  Paul embraced the cross. The lows did not discourage him and the highs did not cause him to luxuriate.

Golfers who get this principle are called “grinders.” They keep that steady stride going for the entire round through all the hazards and ecstatic moments.  They have learned the secret of the paschal mystery: to embrace the cross and to marinade in the pain.  Or in golf terms: to EMBRACE THE GRIND, always realizing that resurrection is coming!