Recovering from a fall

Unless you've been away from the TV for the last two days, you've probably heard Tiger Woods' press conference. It is his first big public statement and apology since the scandal involving his personal conduct broke in late November. Reaction has been mixed regarding Woods' statement, tone of delivery and sincerity.

I for one don't think it's possible to judge someone else's heart. It was important to him to read his statement and to do it his way, but I don't necessarily think he owed the public an explanation. Still, I couldn't help but be fascinated when Woods addressed his need to rediscover a balance between work and faith. Of course, the faith he was referring to was Buddhism.

Woods said, "Buddhism teaches that a creation of things outside ourselves causes an unhappy and pointless search for security. It teaches me to stop following every impulse and to learn restraint. Obviously, I lost track of what I was taught." Of course, as Christians, we know that what's really missing in that equation is Jesus.

It is true that, when you put your hope in, or try to fill a void in your life with things of the world, it is ultimately unfulfilling. Only Jesus can provide what it takes to fill the longing and ache in one's life. Which isn't to say Christians are perfect; in fact we're far from it in my experience.

Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." In fact, we will all be tested and we will all have low times in our life. What defines us is not our mistakes but rather how we respond to those times of crisis.

One of my favorite TV shows is "Friday Night Lights." Those that follow the show know that, during the pilot episode, the central team in the show was tested by the loss of a great player.

At the close of the first episode, Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) reflects on the test he and his team will face, saying, "Give all of us gathered here tonight the strength to remember that life is so very fragile. We are all vulnerable, and we will all, at some point in our lives... fall. We will all fall. We must carry this in our hearts — that what we have is special. That it can be taken from us, and that when it is taken from us, we will be tested. We will be tested to our very souls. We will now all be tested. It is these times, it is this pain, that allows us to look inside ourselves."

When we place our faith in Jesus, it doesn’t mean that magically the rest of our days will be free from suffering and loss. It means in those difficult times, in times where our spirits are broken, we have a Savior to lean on. One of my favorite verses on this topic is Philippians 4:13, which says, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”