Who would have thought that Tiger Woods could crash and burn like this?
I’m not sure whether all of the allegations are true or not. That’s not the point. The point, to me at least, is that enough of them are true that his life will probably be ruined by them.
“You may be sure that your sins will find you out,” Numbers 32:23 says.
Wow, what an understatement. In Tiger’s case, think of how much darkness lay hidden just beneath the veil of public scrutiny, piling up year after year, indiscretion after indiscretion, like water rising behind a dam that isn’t designed to bear that much pressure. Think of how many lies he must have told, how many close calls he must have avoided, how many disasters he must have paid off, what kind of house he built playing with meticulously placed cards…
…in a vain attempt to stave off the inevitable. Who would have thought that driving into a tree trunk could lead to the exposure of his secret life? The dam has now burst, his house of cards has collapsed, and there’s nothing he can do about it but hold on for dear life amidst the debris of his former persona.
When somebody as famous as Tiger or Bill Clinton or Jimmy Baker falls, we roll our eyes and mutter, “What kind of moron could convince themselves that they could avoid being found out doing something that stupid?”
Yes, what kind of moron?
The dictionary says that “Moron” is a medical term that describes an adult stuck with a mental age of a pre-pubescent. You know, that 8-12 year old brain-dead zone where kids can’t see consequences for the life of them and think they’re invincible.
Oh, that kind of moron. I think more of us are like that than we care to admit.
Which is why accountability is key, right? In theory. It helps us see things we’re blind to. But sometimes it fails to address the things we see all too clearly.
When people ask me about accountability groups, I tell them that the only way it can work is if each person in the group thinks deeply and honestly about the three questions they hope to God no one ever asks them, the ones that they think will change the way people see them forever, and then empower the group to ask them those questions regularly.
So… which questions would you rather die on than answer honestly? Take a minute to think. It may not be as obvious as adultery or sexual sin or murder.
Next, what have you done to systematically conceal the answers to those questions?
Look at a photo of Tiger. Then look in the mirror. Tiger. Mirror. Tiger.
Now what do you think of him? Of yourself?
If you choose to conceal your sin, remember Tiger’s mishap with the tree. You never know what might become the pivotal crack in your proverbial dam. And remember, too, that you can only hold your breath so long—and that it only takes a breath to fell a house of cards.