Tiger Woods—everybody knows the Woods story. I find this fascinating. When Tiger was growing up—and by the way, his dad is gone—but Earl Woods, his daddy, wrote a book called Training a Tiger, and he talked about Tiger when he was in the height, or pinnacle, of his career, how when he was a boy he was so teachable. He surrounded himself with all kinds of influences, like pictures of the Bear, Jack Nicklaus, and more, and he just learned and absorbed and soaked in everything he could. 

He was a listener, and he worked hard at his game. I think even one piece of what he did—his dad did—was, he used to constantly “just create distractions” while Tiger was putting and stuff. Bang! Right in the middle of a putt or something, because he knew there would come a day when that kind of distraction would happen in the middle of a big putt, and wanted him to make sure and stay and trust his stroke, and more. Woods became a notorious master of the game, and you know, he reached the pinnacle of success. Of course, the wheels came off in Tiger’s life and more, but I’m telling you, those principles, staying teachable.…

John Smoltz, who pitched for the Atlanta Braves—Smoltzie, who actually has spoken for us—he always had influence in his life, his psychologist, his sport psychologist guy, constantly giving feedback all the way through his career and more, staying open and receivable, receiving truth and wisdom and direction in his life. Proverbs 1:7 is a great verse here. “A fool,” it says, “despises wisdom and instruction.”

The beauty of life, ultimately, is in this: James 1:5, we know in Christ that, “If any of you,” James wrote, “lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who will give to all men liberally.” You’ve got to stay open—teachable—in what you’re doing. There’s a great baseball quote. Earl Weaver, coach, once said this,: “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”