Lessons from Tiger Woods
Can you imagine getting a golf lesson from Tiger Woods? If you ever saw my golf game you would know that I could certainly use his help. However the most important lesson I could receive from Tiger has little to do with golf. It has been about one year since Tiger Wood’s infamous car wreck. We have seen a parade of women come and go, and watched as his golf game and marriage fell apart. We’ve observed many celebrities go through similar personal meltdowns and many seemed to learn nothing from their experience. Tiger, however, appears to have learned some important lessons that might benefit all of us. Because Tiger was by many accounts the most famous and richest athlete in the world it is hard to imagine that we have anything in common with him. But the frailties and temptations of human nature are the same regardless of who you are or your status in life. Those with more money and fame have more resources to waste and farther to fall when they crash, but the temptations are the same. The Apostle John tells us that there are three broad temptations in life, “a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions” (1 John 2:16). Unfortunately Tiger fell for all three and has paid an incredible price. Two weeks ago Tiger wrote a fascinating piece in Newsweek magazine describing some of the lessons he has learned and is still learning. His actions caused a great pain in his soul. He said, “my life was out of balance and my priorities were out of order.” He thought he could handle life just fine on his own but now realizes he needs to rely on others. That is quite a lesson from someone as successful and private as Tiger. He went on to say, “I’m learning that some victories can mean smiles, not trophies, and that life’s most ordinary events can bring joy.” The deepest joys in life are not the successes the world notices but the simple things in life. Many people never learn this lesson; I know I missed it for years. Unfortunately what Tiger has still not discovered is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the eternal living God. What he did not realize is that every lesson he mentioned learning the hard way was laid out for him, and us, in the Bible. He is still trying to find his life, yet Jesus said, “If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it” (Matthew 10:39). When you are being successful and having a great time it is hard to slow down enough to look deep inside and check the status of your soul. But we will all pay a heavy price when we get too busy and get out of balance in our lives. Years ago one of my mentors encouraged me to plan some time away from everything and everyone, at least once a year, for some personal reflection and prayer. I have found the days after Christmas and around the first of the year to be the best time for me to take this annual personal retreat. Before we lose the things in life that are the most precious to us I invite you to join me in setting aside a time to evaluate your life, goals, and priorities. And it just might be that one of my goals will be to improve my golf game, it just won’t be the most important. (To listen to the message on how to have a personal retreat day visit www.brookwoodchurch.com/podcasts. Search for the message titled “Looking Forward - Looking Back.”)
