In Tiger Wood’s second public statement after his car wreck, before details of what was going on started to come out, he finally acknowledged he had sinned. Sort of. He said my “transgressions” - a Biblical reference to sin so those of us who still think of cheating in terms of right or wrong would get it – but not “my sins”- so the rest of us who don’t wouldn’t be offended. The “sin” word did come out later in his statement, just in a more opaque, somewhat defiant way, “Personal sins should not require press releases”. Although looking back it seems he was still trying to throw us off the trail, at least he had the decency to indirectly refer to what we now know to be his infidelity for what it was – sin.

Of course it took several more days of what appears to be a public cover up, and a lot longer period of time of what appears to be a private cover-up, for the truth- as we know it from afar – to be told. It sure looks like one of the most prominent, powerful guys in all of sports and life spent considerable effort to not get caught for doing what was in God’s eyes wrong – and had a hard time owning up to it right to the last moment.

No matter our perspective, we all just witnessed possibly one of the greatest public “falls from grace”, if you will, because of his elite superstar status. When President Clinton was caught – well that wasn’t so surprising – our esteem for politicians, even for the President, isn’t all that high anymore. But Tiger, though reserved, always seemed almost perfect. He was bigger than life. He was the golden boy that we’ve watched from a child grow into the king of the sports, and advertising, and celebrity world.

No doubt he’s now facing a personal storm like he’s never encountered. The question everyone wants to know and ponder is – what will happen next? What will his life, his career be like now?

He was the golden child too. Good looking. He too felled giants at an early age, literally. Also bursting on the scene with great flair, and because of it, everybody wanted to be around him. He could do no wrong. He was the heir apparent to the throne. He soon bested all of his opponents and in no time at all he was in fact, the King.

And boy, he was a great guy. Who wouldn’t want to be around him? He could sing. He was a poet. He was a warrior. He was a champion. Even God wanted to be near him – he was after all a man after God’s own heart, an acknowledgement that God was somehow pulled towards him. He had the whole world. Everything. Beautiful family. Beautiful house. Folks who would jump at his every word. All the world’s wealth. The billion dollar man of his time, times ten.

He too tried to hide his sin after he also fell for one of the devil’s most powerful traps to a man - enough said. The trap that started with a stare and that most men in our modern show-it-all world have fallen into, if you judged by Jesus standard. “I tell you everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart,” Matthew 5:28. If you even turn on a TV or look at a billboard, you’re confronted with the temptation.

I appreciated Jerris pointing out Job 31:1 about making a covenant with our eyes not to stare at women, helpful to me because it also points how to keep from crossing Jesus standard – don’t stare in the first place. Be careful little eyes what you see is so, so true. It’s also one reason modesty is so important because the lack of it opens the door for people, especially men folk, to start thinking thoughts we ought not to.

How do we train ourselves to not stare? How do we get past this problem? How do we pick up the pieces when we’ve fallen, visually or physically, and rebuild our lives spiritually? What will become of Tiger’s life, what will become of ours?

The answer for David relied on two things. The first was fessing up. I did it. It was me. No more cover up. The second, and the real key, was turning his heart over to God. My favorite Psalms is Psalms 51 when the consequences of David’s actions have caught up to him. Where David at the depth of his despair, when the hen has come home to roost, says this in my favorite verse - verse 10. “Create in me, a clean heart, O God.” He has nowhere else to turn, and he knows it, and he quits fighting and says, I can’t do it God. It’s up to you. I turn it over to you. Create in me a clean heart, O God.

Seems funny, almost a violation of free will to say “God, you do the work” - doesn’t it? But it’s only when of our own free will, do we turn it over to Him to the point we are begging Him to create us anew, can He begin to actually do so. That’s the point where God can train us, and make us, and rebuild us.

I’m thankful for Tiger’s mess. Not that he’s having to face this. But yes, that he’s having to face this. Because he’s at the point where he’s got nowhere to turn to. I hope someone shares Psalms 51 with him.