The Rougher the Course, the Greater the Reward

February 27, 2012
The Rougher the Course, the Greater the Reward

The other day, Joanne and I made a visit to our HMO to clear up some misunderstandings we have with them. We had tried to accomplish this by phone but always had difficulty talking to a live human being. Can you identify with this?

The live human being we finally met with turned out to be a delightful man who was more than willing to help us and was so very competent as well – a rare combination these days. As we visited with him we noticed a picture on the wall of a golfer teeing off on a beautiful golf course. The caption on the picture read, "The Rougher the Course, the Greater the Reward."
He said that his dad had been an avid golfer and that this picture hung on the wall of his office for many years. His dad had passed away a number of years before, and the picture which now hung on his wall reminded him of his dad as he looked at it many times each day.
The picture was beautiful, but it was the caption below the picture that captured my attention: "The Rougher the Course, the Greater the Reward." I knew of course, that the "Course" referred to in the picture was a golf course. I would imagine that those golfers amongst us can identify with the truthfulness of this statement as it applies to the game of golf. I immediately thought however, how applicable it was to life itself.

Elder Paul V Johnson, in the Sunday morning session of the April 2011 General Conference, said something that struck a chord with me, and conveyed the same truth as the caption on the picture of the golf course.

"Earth life includes tests, trials, and tribulations, and some of the trials we face in life can be excruciating. Whether it be illness, betrayal, temptations, loss of a loved one, natural disasters, or some other ordeal, affliction is part of our mortal experience… these trials are not just to test us. They are vitally important to the process of putting on the divine nature. If we handle these afflictions properly, they will be consecrated for our gain."


The other day, Joanne and I made a visit to our HMO to clear up some misunderstandings we have with them. We had tried to accomplish this by phone but always had difficulty talking to a live human being. Can you identify with this?

The live human being we finally met with turned out to be a delightful man who was more than willing to help us and was so very competent as well – a rare combination these days. As we visited with him we noticed a picture on the wall of a golfer teeing off on a beautiful golf course. The caption on the picture read, "The Rougher the Course, the Greater the Reward."
He said that his dad had been an avid golfer and that this picture hung on the wall of his office for many years. His dad had passed away a number of years before, and the picture which now hung on his wall reminded him of his dad as he looked at it many times each day.
The picture was beautiful, but it was the caption below the picture that captured my attention: "The Rougher the Course, the Greater the Reward." I knew of course, that the "Course" referred to in the picture was a golf course. I would imagine that those golfers amongst us can identify with the truthfulness of this statement as it applies to the game of golf. I immediately thought however, how applicable it was to life itself.

Elder Paul V Johnson, in the Sunday morning session of the April 2011 General Conference, said something that struck a chord with me, and conveyed the same truth as the caption on the picture of the golf course.

"Earth life includes tests, trials, and tribulations, and some of the trials we face in life can be excruciating. Whether it be illness, betrayal, temptations, loss of a loved one, natural disasters, or some other ordeal, affliction is part of our mortal experience… these trials are not just to test us. They are vitally important to the process of putting on the divine nature. If we handle these afflictions properly, they will be consecrated for our gain."

To me he is saying that mortality and its many challenges we all have faced, are facing, or will face – it can be a rough course for most of us – is a necessary part of Heavenly Father's customized curriculum for each one of us as a prerequisite to be given the greatest reward possible – the gift of eternal life!

Elder Orson F. Whitney said: “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable. It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire." [As quoted by Spencer W Kimball in The Miracle of Forgiveness, 98]

I suppose if we really believe what I have written and quoted above from Paul V Johnson and Orson F Whitney, we would rejoice in the hard experiences that we all face from time to time, realizing that they are necessary if we are to reap the ultimate reward, Eternal life.
As Paul said: "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the apeaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are bexercised thereby." [Hebrews 12:11]

I can identify with what Paul said. Many years ago as a neurosurgeon who had obviously flunked bedside manner 101, stood over me, surrounded by my family, and said "Jack, you will never be able to move any part of your body again. You will never be able to speak again. You will never be able to eat again. You will never be able to breathe on your own again, and you will have to live in a care facility for as long as you live." I must admit at that moment I thought that what had happened to me was certainly not "joyous" but was causing me to experience great grief. I had no vision of the great Reward that would eventually be mine because of the Rough Course I was now privileged to tee off on and play.

I had to finally come to look at my affliction as Paul did his. "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far exceeding and eternal weight of glory;" [2 Corinthians 4:17]

Paul suffered much more than me for sure, or most of us, during his years as a missionary and witness of Christ, and yet he could consider his afflictions as being light. Why? Because he knew they were but for a "small moment" and a great Reward awaited him if he would only successfully finish the 18 holes on the rough course he was given to play.

Joseph Smith, much like Paul, was told a similar thing when his experience in Liberty Jail did not seem to be especially "joyous."

"My son, peace be unto thy soul. Thine adversity shall be but a small moment and then if thou endure it well God shall exalt thee on high." [D &C 121:7-8]

When playing our individual and unique "Rough Courses" it seems to be so very important to maintain an eternal perspective. Although sometimes it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel if we "endure it well" how great will be our Reward.
"… after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand." [D&C 58:4]

Dad/Grandpa/Jack