Tiger Woods: A Lesson in Discipline and Lack Thereof

Philippians 4:9 reminds us, “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” In other words, what you receive – both by teaching and experience – is meant for application and maturity. And the level of hard work you put into your own growth will reflect what progress you make as a Christian.

Here is an illustration of that truth from the sports world: Tiger Woods.

In the 2000’s, Tiger woods dominated the PGA. In fact, one might argue, he was the most recognizable face in any sport on any level in the entire world. He was “must see” TV. If Tiger was playing in a tournament, we watched. If he was in contention in a major, we were canceling other activities to see him win or pull off some ridiculous shot. Tiger walked onto a golf course and defeated his opponents with his talent and mental focus.

During this dominating reign in the world of golf, many concluded that much of his success had to do with his commitment to practice and exercise. Golf had long been viewed as a sport that anyone could play, but Tiger walked onto that first tee in his muscle shirt with noticeable biceps and 6-pack abs.

His practice routines during these years consisted of hitting thousands of golf balls for 8-10 hours per day. When you hit that many golf balls that often and add that practice regiment to the already-existing natural talent, you become the world’s #1 golfer.

Fast forward to 2017. The only time we ever hear of Tiger today is when he gets arrested or loses his wife or girlfriend or can’t make a cut in another golf tournament.

What has happened to this once-dominant athlete?

There is a plethora of answers to that question. But one answer must be that he is not producing victories and he is not intimidating anyone any longer because he is not putting time and effort into his golf game.

His priorities in life are not golf, as he said in an interview with ESPN reporter and commentator Scott Van Pelt earlier this year. Now, one could argue that his priority to be a dad is much better and more satisfying, but that is another blog post for another time

What you put into anything in life will have a corresponding result.

The Christian would does not study the truths of God’s Word will lack discernment. The Christian who does not reflect on the Gospel and attributes of God will have shallow worship. The Christian who gets too busy in life will rarely serve others. The Christian who makes foolish decisions does not seek counsel.

What you put into anything in life will have a corresponding result.