UNPACK this…For Golf FansSample

"Beneath Bubba’s Surface"

I like that pro golfer Bubba Watson has a unique personality, is a family man, and a winner without formal golf lessons. Although Bubba has fans like me, not everyone roots for him. Known for his outbursts and how he treats his caddie, he's not regarded as the friendliest guy on tour. Last year's polls painted a bad picture of Bubba by revealing he's not even well-liked by other golfers.

60 Minutes did an excellent feature on Bubba showing an honest and vulnerable side of him. He candidly shared what his caddie, Ted Scott, said to him: "He (Ted) said, 'People don’t like you and...the reason why they don’t like you, they just don’t understand you because you’re nuts.’"

Although this was a brutally honest comment, Bubba admitted he's had a lot of emotional issues. He said, "I just am so fearful of things, which I shouldn’t be, right? Scared of heights. Scared of buildings falling on me. Scared of the dark. Scared of crowds. Those are my biggest issues…in between holes is really scary to me because there’s so many people that close to you. I’m just scared of people in general."

What struck me most about his revelation is the fact that he’s been misunderstood. I’m not going to justify his temper tantrums or the struggles he has with people, but I am willing to give him grace and try to recognize that he acts the way he does because of what lies beneath the surface.

This type of thinking doesn't come easy for most of us. We tend to jump to conclusions and judge others from the outside when voicing our opinion about not liking them. The simple reality is that people are the way they are for a reason. That doesn’t mean they should stay as they are, but it also doesn’t mean we should write them off.

Proverbs 18:2 (NLT) gives great wisdom with these words: "Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions."

I believe this is valuable in many areas of life, but today let’s be challenged to do our best to understand people before giving our assessment of them. We all have our own struggles, issues, and hurts, so let’s love each other and remember that Jesus meets us in our brokenness. I’m Bryce Johnson and you can unpack that!