No one who has followed Bubba Watson’s career as a professional golfer was surprised this past Sunday. First, they were not surprised that the left-hander had the talent to win The Masters—his first career major. His incredible length off the tee and his uncanny shot-making ability have made him a fan favorite in recent years as he has blossomed into a very good player. But, additionally, no one who has paid attention to Watson in recent years would have been surprised by the intense display of emotion he exhibited as he holed the final putt on the 74th hole for the victory. Bubba wept openly after winning his first tournament in June of 2010 as well—and often speaks emotionally of his loved ones and of his faith in Christ. It was more than a little refreshing to see him once again put his heart on his sleeve and unashamedly weep for joy in celebration of his very emotional win at Augusta.
Sometimes we (especially guys) can be embarrassed by our tears. Whether they be tears of joy, or grief, or despair, or loss, we can easily feel the need to cover them or apologize for them rather than accepting that tears are a meaningful part of life. For me, it is helpful to be reminded that our tears are not only meaningful—they are valued by God. In fact, the psalmist wrote:
You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book? (Psalm 56:8)
God not only sees and knows our tears, He understands the heart that produces them. In fact, He values our tears so much that the psalmist pictures our loving heavenly Father capturing our tears so that they are not lost, and recording them so that our experience—whether good or bad—is not wasted. In a world of coldly analytical approaches to life, the freshness of honest tears seems to be a lost value. But it is not lost on our God. He has known all along what our tears are worth.
Bill Crowder, Sport Spectrum Chaplain