My Two Cents on Tiger

Like most of you, I am way over the whole Tiger Woods thing.  Try as I might, however, I cannot escape it. It seems everyone wants to make a comment to me, especially, because we share a rather unique name. My standard answer when this comes up is, "I was first." I have been following that up lately with, "One more incident and I will seek action to have him change his name because he has besmirched my good name." After much thought and conviction over that last one, I have had a real change of heart.

The conviction process began as I was listening to a very popular, national sports talk program on the radio. I listen to this show from time to time because I like smart humor. I am a sucker for witty repartee. Many times, however, the host takes it way too far and his moral compass (or lack thereof) gets stuck.  This was one of those days. He was advocating that Tiger and wife Elin get divorced. He reasoned that the marriage was beyond fixing and was able to lend some experience to the conversation because he, the host, had also been in a marriage that was "beyond fixing."  The thought hit me so hard as I was driving down the road that I almost lost control-- "No one or no thing is beyond the redemption found in Jesus Christ!" I audibly said this to myself and my truck.

I certainly did not expect to hear that particular host on that particular program espouse anything other than exactly what I heard, but it saddens me to think about the millions of people around this country and around the world who think the very same thing.  I do not know anything about Tiger's faith background.  It would shock me to find out he was a Christ-follower given what I do know about him, but I am not his judge.  However, I do know that if Tiger would allow Christ to come into his heart and life, the Holy Spirit could, indeed, begin the redeeming process.  I am convinced with regard to matters of sin that no amount of therapy or counseling can change a heart that is not first given to Jesus Christ.

As I was pondering these things while doing my daily perusing of various and sundry blogs, I ran across a blog called People of the Second Chance (great and ironic name don't you think?). You can click on the link and see the blog in its entirety, but below I posted some suggestions they had for folks who don't want to contribute to the beat down, but rather commit to the build up:

As People of the Second Chance, here are a few of my suggestions: 
1. You have so many words that you can share in a day. Decide whether they will be about blessing or cursing someone.
2. When someone is caught in a scandal, I visualize two buckets that I can fill. I can add to the “Shame Bucket” or the “Second Chance Bucket.” Sometimes my first/easy/fun/human nature response is to fill the “Shame Bucket” so I have to work harder not to do that.  
3. For all you online peeps…write your articles, blogs, tweets, and comments as if the person in crisis (and their family) were reading it. Why? Because they do! And the jokes, snarky comments, sloppy facts and flippant remarks hurt people. Instead, devote your computer keyboard to the restoration of people.
4. Refuse to participate in the gossip session around the water cooler. Or better yet, jump in and turn the conversation towards grace and second chances. Btw, just plan on being called a “buzz kill” and not invited back to any more social functions.
5. Realize we are either part of the judgment problem or the grace solution. But we can’t be both. So choose wisely.

As a Christ-follower, I too often get caught up in the whole "group think" stuff.  I am just mean enough and want to make people laugh enough to dive in with all the jokes and comments.  Because of our own sinfulness it makes us feel better to tear someone else down further so we can look in the mirror and tell ourselves we are not that bad.  The Bible reminds that, yes, we are that bad! Though our sins may not be as public as Tiger's, none of us are righteous outside of the atoning sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us. I mean-- who am I to think that Tiger Woods, alone, has besmirched the good "Tiger" name? In the eyes of the only One that matters, I have done plenty to sully my name. If we all made a determined effort to be the change we would like to see in others, then maybe the world would be a different place.  


I want to put as much effort into praying for Tiger and all who trod a similar path, as I have put into preying upon them.