“It’s been a long, long wait, but it’s that much sweeter because of that wait.” Those words sum up the sentiment of Sergio Garcia following his memorable Masters win on Sunday. 

Considered one of the better golfers in the game, Sergio has had a wild career spanning 30 tournament wins, ranking 2nd in the world at one point, 2nd and 3rd finishes in multiple majors, but never finishing first…until the 2017 Masters. 

After being known as one of the best to never win a major, Sergio finally got over the hump in his 74th attempt, by beating Justin Rose in a playoff winning putt. You could see the relief and happiness on his face as he celebrated the long-awaited victory of taking home the Green Jacket. 

When I think about success in sports, especially golf, there is a distinction between winning early versus winning later in your career. Jordan Spieth was 21 when he won the Masters, yet Sergio had to wait until he was 37.

Winning at both stages of a career have their advantages and challenges, but one thing is for sure, Garcia appreciates the win because he’s had to endure a journey of waiting.

Because of all the disappointment he dealt with along the way, it makes a lot of sense that it would be “that much sweeter.” Coming up short year after year, he had to keep waiting for another chance to win a major. 

That’s more than likely the reason why so many fans were cheering for Sergio yesterday. We can all relate to the struggle of waiting and questioning if something is ever going to happen.

Whether waiting for a job, a spouse, a child, physical healing, or for a loved one to change, often times when we think we’re close, we end up having to wait even longer.

But if we force ourselves to see the value in a delay, we can usually discover a time of growth, maturity, evaluation, and developing a deeper faith and dependence on God. 

Ideally, it’s during the waiting period that we shift our focus from our desired outcome to a complete satisfaction in Jesus, as we find our rest and peace in Him. Our worry and impatience turn into a deep trust in God’s will.

Then, when what we’re waiting for does happen, it becomes “that much sweeter” because of the process we went through to get there…and God’s goodness and faithfulness magnificently shine through.

We can be encouraged by these two scriptures while we are waiting: Lamentations 3:25-26 (NLT) tells us, “The Lord is good to those who depend on Him, to those who search for Him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.” 

Micah 7:7 (NLT) says, “As for me, I look to the Lord for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me.”

Today as we wait, let’s think less about our desired outcome and more about the God who loves us. If that desired outcome is rooted in Him, then it will happen in the right time and it will be “that much sweeter” when it does. I’m Bryce Johnson and you can unpack that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, it’s so difficult to wait, but I pray You will grow my faith and develop my character in the meantime. I know you are good and faithful, and I ask that my desires would come from You, so that I can rest in knowing they will come through in Your timing. Thank you for giving me the strength and grace I need to keep going. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.