He’s one of the biggest role models for kids today and has one of the filthiest mouths in public. Golf has seen a major resurgence among youth in the last decade, almost single-handedly due to the success and likeability of Tiger Woods. How many boys are now at the driving range, wanting to swing like Tiger, dress like Tiger, use the same clubs like Tiger…and talk like Tiger? Open mics follow this celebrity from tee to green on every hole, catching his every word, including the abundance of four-letter ones. As a role model, I wish he’d control his tongue.
Of course, Tiger is just one among millions whose words are heard and emulated. But you don’t have to be a celebrity for folks to pay attention to what you say. Little children will even notice when the preacher carelessly says the word “stupid” in his sermon and may think it’s a good word to use. Let us all be ever-vigilant to control our tongues, watching our every word, knowing that ears of all kinds (children, non-Christians, babes in Christ, etc.) are listening.