I honestly didn’t care too much about Bubba Watson winning the Masters in 2013. I am barely a casual golf fan. I haven’t swung a club since high school, but keep up with it because I am an ESPN Sportcenter junkie.Then I saw his post-tournament news conference. One word came to mind…transparent.
When asked about how this win effected him as a new father, Bubba paused. Tears were welling. The pause was now audible to the crowd. This was when I became a Bubba Watson fan. He could have given a “pat answer” like it was amazing, or this has been a tremendous time for our family, and moved on.
Instead, after collecting himself, he told a story.
He explained how when he was first dating his wife, she told him she couldn’t have kids. They had been through a 4-year adoption process that came together in the last few weeks as he was competing in Bay Hill (he almost withdrew, but decided to stay and finished in the top 10). He fought back more tears to say that he couldn’t wait to get home and be with his family. More tears followed as he was asked about losing his dad to throat cancer a few years back.
Wow, in today’s world of political correctness, press release statements, and not letting people see you be vulnerable and “real”, what a refreshing interview!
Bubba became transparent to us and revealed part of the journey that has led him to one of the highlights of his life.
I think Jesus had to be transparent to those around him. I am guilty of reading his words sometimes and thinking, “He was saying this, but he really meant that, and he didn’t tell them what he really meant because he knew that this had to happen first…” It’s like we portray him as this elaborate storyteller who is stringing everyone along, only revealing snipets of who he really is.
Even parables and other things he said that people didn’t fully understand, had to still leave them feeling like they just heard the most compassionate, powerful words ever.
It is tough to read the words on the page that were spoken by the world’s greatest orator. When he said, “Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth,” I bet you could feel every ounce of love he had for the meek. Christ’s words and speeches had to be transparent in order for it to have the impact and lasting power that we see today.
Christian Strength Training Connection – One of our current bootcamps is an 8 station interval challenge with pullovers (upper), Med ball giant circles (lower and core), Heavy kettlebell carry (core and upper), Jump rope (cardio), Barbell challenge – presses and bent rows (upper), Wheel of lunges (lower), Med ball toe touches and dollies (core), and banded slides and runs (cardio). 8 stations of 2 upper, 2 lower, 2 core, 2 cardio. For general conditioning, this makes a lot of sense, and is well planned when you look at what our athletes did for the previous 2 months. My point…we know exactly why we have our athletes do certain things and can explain it to them…ah, transparency!
Watch this Snowy Power Devo video and consider how you can overcome adversity.
Too many training programs (loose term) or other trainers just have their clients do a bunch of exercises to make them tired without ever revealing WHY they are doing them. If you ever ask your trainer why you are doing something and they say, “because I said to,” head for the door! Every exercise should have a reason why it is in your program. There are a lot of popular tools and exercises that you see everyday in gyms that have very little carry-over to real world strength, conditioning, or whatever you want to achieve. Don’t fall for gimmicky, fake training programs that don’t make sense!
I long for more people like Bubba Watson in my life. Friends who will tell me how their soul is, and ask the same of me. Let’s be more transparent and see if it opens up those around us to reveal more for deeper and more meaningful relationships.
Live with Strength,
Jason
Jason Rhymer is the Training Department Editor of Faith & Fitness Magazine and the Clergy Health Fitness Coordinator for the Clergy Health Institute through Pfeiffer University. He leads bootcamps and personal training sessions in Charlotte, NC, and has trained ages 5 to 90 over his 14 year career.
