On Tiger and Respect-me-ness

The recent media circus surrounding and exposing Tiger Woods has been sickening and particularly painful...

Because of his unique role and branding. Did he create the image? Or is that all on his sponsors--did he merely accept and endorse the stardom? Either way, he perpetuated the mask in his consistent efforts to conceal his shame under the all-American family man guise. If his sponsors needed him to be squeaky shiny spotless, if his family needed a loving husband and doting father and pro golfer to look to, he also needed to meet that need of theirs.

Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;
   let them not have dominion over me!

But secret sins and private stumbles... They mastered him. And paraded his shame on the worldstage in disgrace that far exceeded the guilty pleasure.

The recent exposure and media saturation has been revolting and particularly painful...

Because it bares the same sin of my heart before the LORD.  And I am... still more sinful than I know.

(all of me is more than enough for all of me)    Who can discern his errors?

Declare me innocent from hidden faults. 

How constantly I am tempted to maintain a veneer of faithful above-reproachedness to at least a few people. How I veil my fear of man and of confronting my sin and self with convincing justifications of love, obligation, honor or nurture--so as not to stumble or because they need to believe in . . . 

Heart intentions that deceive all, myself included, but maybe the most discerning. Sin "undiscerned and unsuspected . . . takes occasion to arise from every thing; it perverts and abuses every thing . . . even the exercises of real grace, and real humility, as an occasion to exert itself . . . He that trusts his own heart is a fool" (Edwards on Revivals, 273).

In view of Tiger's exposé (yes... we are on first-name basis. no... that's not why),  
Challies warns of the temptation "to add a layer of respectability" between yourself and the way you want to be perceived:

Do not construct elaborate falsehoods to mask your sin and your shame. These false fronts cannot stand forever. And the shame and pain of the ruin of a life lived out behind false pretenses will be far worse than the shame and pain of just dealing with sin immediately and properly. The temptation to mask your sin is nearly as strong as the temptation to sin in the first place. But to mask it is just to compound sin upon sin. It is merely to delay the inevitable.

Under your grace, LORD, sin has no dominion over me. Search me, show me, gently. Forgive me, correct me, expose me, perfect me in your mercy. By your blood and in your name

I shall be blameless,

and innocent of great transgression.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be acceptable in your sight,

O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. 

Psalm 19.12-14