A Lesson in Humility Taught by Tiger Woods

In a week when I am preaching on humility, a rather hidden virtue for many in a world where we're taught to have pride, I have learned a lesson, once again, from the world's number one golfer. This time the lesson was not about getting out of a difficult spot in a golf tournament served up by an extremely confident, albeit prideful, young thirty-something who seemed to have everything going for him: a beautiful wife who loved him, cute children, a devoted mother, a dedication to helping educate children who might not otherwise have had a chance, and doors open all over the world just at the sound of his name.

Today, following in the footsteps of many 12 steppers, Tiger took to the air and taught us a lesson in humility as he began, what many of us hope to be, the repairing of his affair-scarred life. Standing in front of a group of people, even those who are closest to you, and confessing to the hurt you've inflicted, the harm you've done, your self-centeredness, the belief that you thought that power and dollars gave you the right to do whatever you wanted whenever you wanted and now you now this is not accurate, is a test of courage and strength.

To those who have criticized his use of a manuscript, I say "Stop it." Tiger wanted to make sure that he said everything he needed to say. I can only imagine that his nerves were out of control which lends to forgetfulness, at times. Like a preacher who uses a manuscript, this written word was still his own thoughts, feelings, and words. Lighten up!

In the 13 minutes in which he spoke, he eluded to the dangers of being prideful, of thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought and then, I suspect without even knowing it, he began to teach us a lesson in humility. This man, who led his family, friends, and the public worldwide to believe falsely that he was a man of integrity, a good guy who we wished we knew, took the giant step to begin to put things right.

In front of the camera, he humbled himself. He owned that he had fallen away from his faith and that he was seeking to reestablish that faith. He owned that he had miles to go in his relationship with his family and that the concrete measure of how he was doing would be made evident in his behavior. In front of the camera, he humbled himself as a means of beginning the process of healing his relationships. In the world of recovery, it was an important step!

Tiger's press conference, which seemed to irritate those members of the press who thought it was too controlled, was an experience of grace for me. In an earlier blog, I expressed my hope that he would be the guy I believed he was and would do the difficult work that is involved in the healing and recovery process. Today, as a man who we know as extremely private, humbled himself in the sight of family, friends, and people worldwide, I caught a glimpse of the Tiger of the future. Here is a man who has the potential to teach us all a thing or two about grace; a grace that has been modeled for him, in his own words, by Elin who, I suspect knows a thing or two about humility.

Just as I have done in the past with the lessons I have learned from Tiger on the golf course, it is my hope that I can take this experience of grace, this lesson in humility, and live it for myself. In the meantime, I'll be offering thanks for Tiger's and Elin's witness. Who would have suspected that the world's number one golfer would teach us off the golf course?