But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you,…. (Acts 26:16, ESV)
Of all the shots, tournaments, episodes, and interviews in Tiger’s life—and countless moments in his career are worth remembering—an early interview in 1996 with Curtis Strange seems to capture what would unfold over the next three decades.
In fairness to Curtis, he had no way of knowing the meteoric rise of arguably the best golfer, perhaps, ever. In this interview, Curtis asked Tiger, what would be a successful week in Milwaukee?” Tiger’s response was “four good rounds” and “winning.” Curtis then mildly chastised him for being “cocky.”
With twenty-seven years of hindsight, we can forgive Curtis for mocking Tiger with his final comment, “…you’ll learn….” Along with Curtis, we would soon learn this: when Tiger arrived at a tournament, he came to win. He had a singular purpose.
When Curtis suggested, “Second or third on the PGA Tour was not too bad,” Tiger was unfazed and doubled down—his purpose was to play and win!” As everyone realizes now, his win-loss record verifies that he largely succeeded.
To call attention to Tiger’s prowess on the course over many decades is more than well-documented. Does he deserve honor for his achievements in golfing lore? Many would agree that he most certainly does.
In an amusing interview with Hal Sutton, after winning the 2000 Players Championship by defeating Tiger, Hal wryly observed, “The other night I was lying in bed, and I said, ‘you know what? I’m not praying to him. He’s not a god; he’s human, just like I am, so we can do this.” On that, we can all agree!
We could all have substantive debates surrounding what made Tiger the best of his generation. Whatever trait gets the most ballots, his sense of purpose to win would be somewhere near the top!
Sadly, so many people walk aimlessly in life. Yet, living with a purpose is at the heart of all human longing. Finding that purpose is an altogether different matter. Soren Kierkegaard was insightful when he wrote, “What matters is to find a purpose … to find a truth which is truth for me, to find the idea for which I am willing to live and die.”
Kierkegaard’s point is not that truth is relative to individuals, but that “big-T-Truth” is found only in Jesus Christ’s plans and purposes for history. Finding our specific place in those larger purposes—that purpose for which Christ created you—a purpose for which you are willing to “live and die” is essential if we are to live a meaningful life.
One author said, “God created you on purpose and for a purpose.” Finding your purpose should be the governing pursuit of your life. Attempting to live a purposeful life apart from the overarching purposes of God in this world makes as much sense as a fish determined to find life outside of water.
In today’s text, the apostle Paul, a man determined to wipe Christianity off the map, found the reason for his existence when the Christ of Christianity made himself and his purposes known to him.
None of us are called to be an apostle as Paul was, but all of us, like King David, are called to serve the purposes of God in our generation (Acts 13:36).
For those who struggle to know God’s plan for your life, begin by praying and asking Jesus to align your life with his larger purposes and to open your mind and heart to your place in his plans!
Prayer: Jesus, show me the road you have called me to travel!