Wise Words from Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods wrote an op-ed for Newsweek. Can we learn anything? I think so.


He wrote, "At first, I didn’t want to look inward. Frankly, I was scared of what I would find—what I had become. But I’m grateful that I did examine my life because it has made me more grounded than I’ve ever been; I hope that with reflection will come wisdom. Golf is a self-centered game, in ways good and bad. So much depends on one’s own abilities. But for me, that self-reliance made me think I could tackle the world by myself. It made me think that if I was successful in golf, then I was invincible. Now I know that, no matter how tough or strong we are, we all need to rely on others."


LESSONS


LOOKING INWARD IS GOOD

• Proverbs 27:19 (ESV) As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man. 

SELF-RELIANCE IS BAD

• 1 Corinthians 10:12 (ESV) Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.   

NO ONE IS INVINCIBLE

• Just as 1 Cor 10:12 says, "take heed lest he fall". The Bible is filled with people who thought they were invincible and fell. David is a great case study. 

WE REALLY DO NEED EACH OTHER

• Other people are there for us. Don't make your journey alone. 

WHAT IS YOUR GAME PLAN?

If that is your game work at it. When Tiger Woods began working on his golf game he was not Tiger. When LeBron James began working on his basketball skills he was not LeBron. You got to work on your game when no one knows who you are. You have to work on your game when no one is looking.

Proverbs 16:3 (ESV) Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

What is “your plans”? You need a game plan. How are you going to win without a plan. 

I have heard it said that if you do not have a plan then you plan to fail. Put a plan together and become the best in the world at your game.

I have to have a family plan, church plan, preaching plan, and a leading plan.

If I do not, I will most likely never reach God’s desired goals for my life. 

Tiger Woods, Mistakes and Choices

As I watched Tiger answer the questions of the media yesterday, I was glad he took the time to answer questions. I am not sure why I had those feeling because I do not know Tiger and he owes me nothing. There is one point that grinds within me. I keep hearing people (not Tiger) say that he made a mistake. Well, to me a mistake is something that is done inadvertently. Let me give you a few examples:

· A child riding his bike runs into the car in the drive way. That is a mistake.

· A house burns because the iron was left on. That is a mistake.

· A cook drops a pan in the kitchen. That is a mistake.

Mistakes happen all the time. But, when someone does something with a clear understanding of what they are doing it ceases to be a mistake.

· The same child gets spray paint and paints the car he hit by mistake. That is a decision.

· The house burns because someone set it on fire. That is a decision

· The cook gets mad and throws a pan across the room. That is a decision.

The lesson we all have to learn is the serious nature of sin. We must quit minimizing it as a mistake. Few of my sins are mistakes. Most are very conscious decisions. Tiger did not end up in bed with a women who he thought was his wife. He knew what he was doing. It was no mistake. It was a decision, sin, wrong. Tiger said what he did was wrong and he is correct.

So, what choices are we making that are sin?

If there are any misspelled words in this blog, please know it was a mistake.