Life Is But A Mist

I have been a golf fan since my younger days and I loved to follow Jack Nicklaus. I'm not sure exactly why. It could have been because he went to Ohio State and was a Buckeye. It could have been because of his charisma or the fact that he seemed like a good guy. Nevertheless, he was my guy.

I never thought that his record for major golf championships would be broken in my lifetime. Jack has 18 championships to his credit in the four biggies played each year. When Nicklaus was playing, the next closest active player was Tom Watson at 8, so his record seemed insurmountable.

Then along came Tiger Woods who now stands at 14 championships. Up until a few weeks ago, I figured, as did the rest of the world, that he would eclipse Nicklaus' mark by a wide margin. Woods is relatively young and it seemed like a no-brainer that he would soon fly by Nicklaus.

Well, now I'm not so sure. With Tiger's troubles coming to light recently, I don't believe anyone knows what will happen with him. Shoot, he may never play again, we just don't know.

Also in the news was the sad death of Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver, Chris Henry, 26. Apparently he was arguing with his fiancee and jumped or fell out of a moving pickup truck and was killed. What a shame.

While sad, both of these stories can be a great lesson to all of us. We don't know what tomorrow holds, only the Lord does. So, let's make today count!

Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.

James 4:13-16

Nothing to Hide

I started in my men's accountability group/bible study six years ago. I was terrified the first day. I had no idea what to expect.

I was a guy who kept everything to himself. I wanted everyone to think that everything was going great and that I had no issues. I was a walking facade.

When we began, guys began to share some pretty intimate details about their life, including their issues. My immediate thought was that this was pretty weird. But I have to admit, a part of me was saying this was really cool.

It came my turn to share. I surprised myself by revealing some things that I had been holding on to and trying to carry all by myself.

Immediately afterwards, I felt a tremendous relief, as if a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I remember calling my wife after the meeting and saying, "What have I been doing all my life without this!" It provided that much relief to me.

I have now come to a place where I realize that everyone has issues. Some are bigger than others, yet we all have 'em. Even Tiger Woods.

Tiger was involved in a minor car accident a few days ago in his driveway which seems pretty strange. He has remained silent about it which has added more fuel to the fire in the media. Yesterday, however, he released an apology of sorts:

"I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart," Woods said on his Web site. "I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone."

I am sure Tiger feels a bit better after releasing this apology; however, I bet he still feels like he is in a prison of sorts because he is trying to keep whatever happened hidden.

There are now rumors of marital infidelity on Woods' part. Even if this is true, I believe Tiger would feel much more free if it was out in the open. Only when it is brought into the light can true healing take place.

I know that Tiger has a lot more at stake than I do or just about anyone else and it's real easy for me to say this, not being in his shoes. However, just because he is one of the most famous people on earth, does not mean that certain axioms don't apply to him. One such axiom that applies here is this one that a good friend of mine shared with me, "When you've got nothing to hide, you are the most free person in the world."

"For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open."

Luke 8:17

Humility And Hard Work

I'm a golf fan and I missed it. I was at a cookout on Sunday afternoon and I was unable to see the improbable. Tiger Woods lost for the first time when leading in a PGA major heading into the final round.

While I was watching earlier in the day, the announcers were all but giving Tiger the Wanamaker Trophy (which goes to the PGA Champion). After all, in 14 previous majors, Tiger had the lead heading into Sunday. And in all 14 of those opportunities, he was the champion.

However, little-known, 37-year-old Y.E. Yang had a different script.

Had I been watching, I probably would not have been rooting for Yang, simply because I would be rooting for someone from the U.S. However, after what I have read, I have determined that I really like this guy.

Consider this:

• He is the first Asian born male to win a major
• He was ranked 110th in the world
• He didn't begin playing golf until he was 19 years old
• Because he could not afford lessons or greens fees, when beginning to play, in order to hit balls on the driving range, he agreed to pick up balls as a "trainee"
• He calls himself "just an average Joe"

Humility and hard work, a pretty good combination!

Quietly Fighting Through Adversity

I heard this morning that Tiger Woods is to have reconstructive surgery on his ACL in his left knee and will miss the remainder of the year from a golf standpoint. This is sad news for the golfing community.

I have always respected Tiger and his work ethic. However, this news makes me respect him even more. He played 91 holes of golf in the US Open this past weekend (4 18-hole rounds and 19 holes in a playoff) over the longest US Open course ever (just on the course he walked over 21 miles on a very painful knee). In addition, it was revealed that he has two stress fractures in the same leg.

Yet, I never once heard him complain about it. Yes, he answered questions about it but he did not make it a big deal. He did not use his injuries as an excuse of any kind. He just battled through them and did the best he could...which was good enough to win his 14th major championship.

I know some people who have exhibited this same character trait. A good friend of mine named Rick recently ran a full marathon with a stress fracture in his leg. Though it was extremely painful, no one has heard him complain.

Buck, another great friend, was diagnosed with Parkinson's. His prayer request is never for healing but he always asks God for the strength to respond appropriately so that Christ may be glorified.

Cool stuff!

This doesn't just apply to physical ailments but to all situations. So how do you respond when things are not going the way you would like at work? Do you act like I do many times and get stressed and treat people poorly or do you do like Tiger, Rick and Buck and rejoice and fight through the tough circumstance?

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Philippians 4:4 (emphasis mine)

Preparation

Did you see the end of the final round of the US Open Golf Tournament? It was incredible.

I was traveling so I didn't gt to watch any of it until the final group was on hole 17. When I tuned in, Tiger Woods and Lee Westwood were one shot behind the leader, Rocco Mediate. Both parred 17 and went to 18 needing a birdie four on the par five hole to tie and force an 18 hole playoff on Monday.

Both players hit their tee shots in a fairway bunker. Then they both advanced their 2nd shots toward the green with Westwood's lying in the fairway and Woods' in the deep rough. Tiger hit an amazing shot to within 20 feet or so and Westwood also was about that distance after his third. Westwood missed his putt and Tiger made his.

I, along with the rest of the golfing spectators, was not surprised. Tiger had battled his sore knee (he is recovering from recent knee surgery) all week, yet he was right there, in the hunt. On the final hole he faced all sorts of adversity (bunker, rough) yet, he managed to do what he needed to do.

During the round they showed a clip of Tiger with his dad. It showed his dad doing all sorts of things to try to get into Tiger's head...things like dropping his bag in the middle of Tiger's swing. His dad went on to say that there would not be another golfer who was more mentally ready to play than Tiger. Preparation.

On Sunday, Mark Cryderman delivered an incredible message at CrossRoads. He taught on the importance of character. He told us that tough times will come (Jesus promises that in John 16:33). So, like Tiger Woods, we must prepare and build our character so that we are ready to face these challenges when they come.

By the way, though I have a great deal of respect for Tiger and his work ethic, I'll be rooting for Rocco Mediate as I have a soft spot in my heart for underdogs.