If you Google “Tiger Woods” right now, you will get around 40 million hits and over 7,000 news articles. I’m pretty sure this isn’t the kind of publicity he wants right now. The mainstream media is piling on and reporting anything they can get their hands on, and if you’re like me, you’re ready for this story to move along. Has anyone asked these women why they were spending time with a married man? They all appear to be victims of a predator, this most successful golf professional ever. They should be ashamed rather than coming forward and granting interviews. But of course, this story won’t go away anytime soon. We’ll be treated to headliner stories and sordid details that the (generally morbid) public wants to know; it’s like a shark feeding frenzy in bloody water. We’ll get theories, speculations, and allegations that may go on for weeks – even months.
Until, that is, somebody else in the spotlight pulls a different bigger-than-life train wreck that turns into the next exclusive for TMZ for all the gossip-loving Americans who want to read about the failures of others so they can feel better about themselves.
But it should be different for Christians. While it may be virtually impossible for us to escape the story, rather than judging or condemning, believers should focus on what God can teach us through Tiger’s transgressions. So, what can we take from the saddening saga of the Woods family?
First, look up. Our personal failures and spiritual breakdowns so often happen as a result of not keeping our focus on Jesus Christ. Here’s the way the writer of Hebrews puts it:
“Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won’t let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete.” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
I have no clue as to Tiger’s spiritual condition (Buddhism is his mother’s religion, and I read that Tiger says his religion has given him self awareness). While it is never our place to judge, and none of us really know him or even met him, we can evaluate the fruit of his life. This story reminds me that if I take my eyes off of Jesus, I’m headed for a crash that involves a lot more than a fire hydrant and a tree.
Second, look across. I mean look across the dinner table and across to the other side of your double bed. If you’re married, remember the reason you married her in the first place. Vows have been made, and even though life may get hard, you’ve made a commitment to her before God and your family to forsake all others. If the relationship is not what you expected, dismiss every thought of seeking satisfaction in any other place. Other women are totally off limits. [ read more about why marriages fall apart ]
Third, look within. Every man needs to take a long and serious look at himself in the mirror. We need to own up to the darkness that resides within, never saying that we would never get involved in something like this. Paul said that we should take heed lest we fall (1 Corinthians 10:11-13). When you look in your mirror, do you see another man standing near you, going through life with you, watching your back and getting in your face when you blow it?
Fourth, look around. There are people everywhere who carry a load of loneliness, emptiness, and even depression because their worldview tells them that contentment and happiness can be only be found through something material. Do we really need another story like this to be reminded that all the money, fame, success, and possessions in the universe still do not come close to providing a real and satisfying life? God created life, so doesn’t it follow that life without a relationship with Him is pretty lifeless?
King Solomon lived thousands of years ago and had more bank and bling than anyone has or probably ever will. He went on a materialistic journey for quite some time to see if he could find contentment and happiness with things here on earth. In fact, this is what he wrote:
“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure.” (Ecclesiastes 2:10).
In the end, he found himself in a darker place than he ever imagined and he came to the conclusion that without God everything is “meaningless.” Why? Here was his reasoning:
“He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
What Solomon is saying is that there is a “God-shaped hole” in each one of us and trying to fill this spiritual void with a thing, relationship or an experience is an absolute waste of time. What isn’t a waste of time is your pursuit of God. Here’s the promise from Jesus Christ:
“Behold! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends” (Revelation 3:20).
This “meal” He is referring to is a spiritual feast that no earthly possession or experience can rival. If you’ve trusted Christ, you already know this, but again, look around at all the people that are desperately looking to fill the eternity-sized empty space in their hearts. What they want is what Tiger Woods wants and it is what you have found: Jesus.
Don’t keep this great discovery to yourself – drive it down the fairway like you were playing for your life and the lives of your friends, because really, you are!
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