The other day there was another story on TV about Tiger Woods.  It has been in the news so much that my children are very aware of the story.  Last week when my nine-year-old son saw the latest blurb about Tiger, he said, “Why don’t they just leave him alone?!”  He was obviously frustrated and sick of hearing about it.  I know my son well, and I could tell at that moment that his frustration went deeper than just being tired of hearing the story.  He was expressing disappointment in a “hero,” sadness at being let down and a desire to quit thinking about it.  I told him I wish they would leave him alone as well so he could start healing.  He then asked me why he had other girlfriends when he was married.  We had already talked about this when the story broke, but I think it was still just bothering him.  So, I told him I really don’t know why some people do those types of things.  What I do know is that now that everyone knows about it, he is probably ashamed and sad.  I could tell Grayson was feeling his pain.  We continued to talk for a few minutes about it, and it was a great opportunity to share the importance of God’s grace with him.  To me it is one of the most beautiful topics to talk about, and I love discussing it with people.  I could tell that Grayson was really getting it.  He wanted Tiger to redeem himself in some tangible way.  But I had to explain that we’ll never know what is in a person’s heart.  We can pray for him and hope that he turns to God in this time, but only Tiger and God know the truth.  It was a really good lesson for him, and I was grateful that a situation that has disappointed us all could be used to help my son understand God’s grace in a better way.
 
There are a lot of lessons to be learned in Tiger’s situation and similar scenarios.  We just have to look for the teachable moments to open the discussion with our kids.  Here are some lessons to share:

• It is not our place to judge.  God will decide how to handle Tiger and the choices he has made.  We can not like what others do, but none of us are perfect.  We all make mistakes and bad choices.  Ask your child what it would be like for them if every bad choice they made was all over the TV every night.
• At the same time, a wise person told me once, “Try to learn from other’s mistakes.”  So, look at the situation and talk about what might have been better choices.  In Tiger’s case, it is obvious, but sometimes it is not so clear.  Discuss the possible scenarios and choices that could have been made.
• Sometimes when we have a lot of power (in celebrity, money, authority) we use it in the wrong way. Discuss how Tiger got himself into these situations to make the bad choices in the first place.  Do you think he used his power in negative ways?
• God’s grace is bigger than any mistake.  Talk about the comfort you feel in knowing that God loves you so much, and he will forgive any mistake if you ask him to.  And for those who don’t know God in a personal way, His grace is there for us before we need it, and the Holy Spirit is always working in our lives to help us repent and receive God’s forgiveness.  (Learn more about our church’s beliefs about grace.)
• Prayer is powerful.  If every person who believes in Jesus would pray for Tiger, he may find his way to God and find the grace that he needs.

In the end, my son may never regain his faith in Tiger Woods, but God has already proven his faith in all of us by offering Jesus as our true saving grace.