Loving the Word with the MudPreacher

Interesting time at the Surgicenter in Lenexa yesterday. While waiting for a church gal to have knee surgery, I was privy to the discussion going on in the waiting room about Tiger Woods. As a hacker I enjoy watching him play. Like many people I was disturbed by the shocking revelations of the past few days.

The people in the waiting room all had strong opinions. Most were condemning, speculating on the outcome of his marriage and his return to golf. But there were a few comments which started to rub me the wrong way.

One guy made an interesting comment. He said “Well, I have to look at it as a guy, and I must confess that I would have done the same thing if I was in his shoes.” He also laid the majority of the blame at the feet of all those women, who should have known better that to mess with a married man. After all, as he said, “Eve was the one who led Adam to take a bite of the apple!” At this point I’m getting chapped, but not enough to offer my opinion.

Another elderly man said that he could understand a young man with all that money and fame giving way to his desires. After all, what’s the point of having so much if you can’t enjoy it? He also had that “longing glint” in his eye as if he would have done the same thing!

Then his wife offered her opinion. She said that we are all just animals. We aren’t really made to be monogamous. Tiger was just being true to himself and his nature. She believed that what he did was OK, since we are just like the animals.

At this point I could hold my tongue no longer. Calmly (even though my blood was boiling) I mentioned that there is something which distinguishes us from animals, and that is our dignity. We have an innate desire for dignity in life. That dignity is what keeps us married, keeps us concerned for our family. I stressed that we are so much different from animals, because our children are designed to rely upon their parents, whereas animals leave the nest as soon as they are able and never look back.

I said that Tiger is in so much trouble because he crossed over the line of what most people consider dignified. And I said that I hope we never get to the point where we consider what Tiger did as OK or normal.

Tiger lost his dignity, and while he may return to being the world’s greatest golfer, it will be some time before he regains the dignity which I really believe he is seeking in the eyes of the world.

I then said that it reminds me of what Jesus said: “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul.”

Tiger has lost his soul, as well as his dignity. I pray that through these dark days he will humble himself before Almighty God, and seek the dignity that can only be found in Jesus Christ.