The Tiger Woods high-profile sexual scandal have captured headlines around the world. This should serve as a sober reminder to all of us of the danger of letting down our own moral guard, and lead us to ask ourselves if we could do something similar.
The tawdry details of another high-profile sexual scandal have captured headlines around the world. One of today's most respected athletes, Tiger Woods, has suddenly found the intimate details of his personal life laid bare under the harsh glare of public humiliation. In a statement posted on his web site he admits heartfelt regret for private "transgressions," offers a profound apology to his family and those who have supported him, and promises that he will strive to be a better person and husband and father. Most of all he pleads for family privacy to allow healing to take place.
Undoubtedly some of the more salacious allegations will prove to be untrue, and we frankly have no need to know the details of his admitted transgressions. But when someone has betrayed the sacred trust that lies at the foundation of every marriage, when we see apparently innocent victims like his wife and children, it's difficult to feel a great deal of compassion for those who caused their heartache.
How did this tragedy happen? Did Tiger Woods leave home one day intending to bring shame on himself and emotional devastation to his family? Of course not; no one ever does. So how did that family end up where they are today? Some may decry the invasiveness of tabloid journalism, but the tabloids didn't cause this problem.
Certainly we all extend our heartfelt wishes for healing to those who are suffering and sincerely trying to make amends and regain the trust and love that have been so deeply wounded. A part of that healing process will include an honest examination of the small, seemingly inconsequential moral compromises that brought them to this place. For any of us, the path to self-destruction begins with small choices made in the total privacy of our own minds.
Most of all this should serve as a sober reminder to all of us of the danger of letting down our own moral guard, and lead us to pause—at least for a moment—to ask ourselves if we could do something similar. A second, even more important question comes to mind as well: "What can I do to protect myself and my family from that kind of pain?"
King Solomon's warning about infidelity, calling it "playing with fire," has become a common metaphor in daily language. Have you ever read what he wrote a few verses later? "But a man who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself. Blows and disgrace are his lot, and his shame will never be wiped away…" (Pro 6:32-33, NIV)
We wish the very best for the Woods family, but we must always remember that anyone who starts down that seductive path of immorality will discover it's a dead-end road with nothing but broken hearts and lives waiting at the end.
The tawdry details of another high-profile sexual scandal have captured headlines around the world. One of today's most respected athletes, Tiger Woods, has suddenly found the intimate details of his personal life laid bare under the harsh glare of public humiliation. In a statement posted on his web site he admits heartfelt regret for private "transgressions," offers a profound apology to his family and those who have supported him, and promises that he will strive to be a better person and husband and father. Most of all he pleads for family privacy to allow healing to take place.
Undoubtedly some of the more salacious allegations will prove to be untrue, and we frankly have no need to know the details of his admitted transgressions. But when someone has betrayed the sacred trust that lies at the foundation of every marriage, when we see apparently innocent victims like his wife and children, it's difficult to feel a great deal of compassion for those who caused their heartache.
How did this tragedy happen? Did Tiger Woods leave home one day intending to bring shame on himself and emotional devastation to his family? Of course not; no one ever does. So how did that family end up where they are today? Some may decry the invasiveness of tabloid journalism, but the tabloids didn't cause this problem.
Certainly we all extend our heartfelt wishes for healing to those who are suffering and sincerely trying to make amends and regain the trust and love that have been so deeply wounded. A part of that healing process will include an honest examination of the small, seemingly inconsequential moral compromises that brought them to this place. For any of us, the path to self-destruction begins with small choices made in the total privacy of our own minds.
Most of all this should serve as a sober reminder to all of us of the danger of letting down our own moral guard, and lead us to pause—at least for a moment—to ask ourselves if we could do something similar. A second, even more important question comes to mind as well: "What can I do to protect myself and my family from that kind of pain?"
King Solomon's warning about infidelity, calling it "playing with fire," has become a common metaphor in daily language. Have you ever read what he wrote a few verses later? "But a man who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself. Blows and disgrace are his lot, and his shame will never be wiped away…" (Pro 6:32-33, NIV)
We wish the very best for the Woods family, but we must always remember that anyone who starts down that seductive path of immorality will discover it's a dead-end road with nothing but broken hearts and lives waiting at the end.
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