Lessons in control and character from Tiger and Phil

Stan Jantz — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 21:35:05 -0700

You don't have to be a golf fan to appreciate what happened at the Masters on Sunday. You just have to be a fan of the twists and turns of human nature. There in the final round on the storied Augusta National golf course, two titanic golfers were pitted against each other. On one side you had Tiger Woods, the world's number one golfer, working through difficult circumstances created by his own woeful behavior. On the other side you had Phil Michelson, the world's second best golfer, dealing with difficult circumstances outside his control.

Throughout the four-day golf tournament, Tiger thought he was in control, but he wasn’t. He played well for a guy who's been off for four months, but his shots were erratic. And his occasional verbal outbursts belied his stated intentions to be a different kind of golfer. As the afternoon shadows lengthened and he slipped further from contention, Tiger seemed to get smaller and less significant.

By comparison, Phil was steady throughout the tournament and especially sharp on Sunday. He seemed to grow in confidence. As he marched to his inevitable victory, the announcers began talking about his wife, Amy, who was able to travel with her husband for the first time in months because she is battling breast cancer.

It isn't Phil Michelson's style to draw attention to his wife's life-and-death struggle, except for the small pink ribbon visible on his hat, but you knew it was on his mind. After sinking a birdie putt on the 18th green to seal the win by three strokes, he walked to where his wife and three children were standing in the crowd. He embraced Amy tightly but tenderly, a small tear trickling down his cheek.

In the end, the most famous athlete in the world, who thinks he's in control of his game and his character, was far from it. And the golfer they call Lefty, who has quietly played in Tiger's shadow for a dozen years, on this day stood head and shoulders above him, in control of his game and, more importantly, his character.

nine woes...part 6

Alicia Britt Chole — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:26:06 -0700

Woe to those who prefer the spirit of control over the spirit of liberty: will we expend the energy to pursue interior holiness?

(I'd rather not write this one.)

For years I've been thinking about a disturbing and distinct division among followers of Jesus. On the one hand I see many rediscovering the spirituality of the arts, befriending the unclear, finding beauty in the ambiguous, and celebrating difference.

And on the other hand I see people craving more details, more definition, "how to" downloads...almost as though they were screaming, "God, just tell me what to do and I'll do it! Give me the 10 points and I'll follow to the letter. I don't have to understand, I just need to know what you want from me."

Perhaps both groups are responding to life in an age drenched with insane amounts of information. We're tired of dog paddling in the sea--it's too vast to measure let alone drink. So some begin floating on their backs to consider an inspiring view of the sky while others search frantically for a life raft to cling to...

At first glance we might assume that only the second group is vulnerable to spiritualizing control. Certainly lists can be abused to oppress the artist, silence the prophet, and multiply the Pharisees.

Yet as an artist at heart, I'd like to speak to the first group: we too are vulnerable to the spirit of control because she sometimes masquerades as a self-gratifying version of freedom.

We celebrate our freedom. Our souls dance in the spirit of liberty. We even take some pride in not being religious. But we must be cautious: liberty can easily become lawlessness.

How can we tell the difference? By asking a penetrating question about what we just did in the name of freedom: What did this choice amplify in me?

Liberty amplifies God in our souls.

Lawlessness amplifies self.

Which was greater in the moment, late that night, the next day?

It may be costly to hear the truth.

It will be deadly not to listen.

If we become still, in silence with God we will know.

Such is the way of Spirit-led interior holiness.