Yani Tseng is a professional golfer from Taiwan who has a remarkable record. She has won many amateur tournaments. In 2002, she won the Callaway Junior World Golf Championships for girls 13 and 14. In 2004, she won the U. S. Women’s Amateur Public Links.
She turned profession in 2007 and has 10 professional wins. She is the youngest player in LPGA history to win 3 career major championships. She won the LPGA Rookie of the Year in 2008.
Yani is some kind of golfer. When you are a great athlete you get many opportunities.
In September of this year, Yani was offered a five year sponsorship deal from a Chinese company that would be worth $25 million in U. S. money. She would also have access to private jets and a luxury villa. What an opportunity!
Yani rejected the offered because one of the requirements was that she switch her citizenship to China. She is from Taiwan.
Yani refused the offer because her citizenship wasn’t for sell! Think about it – $25 million – but that wasn’t enough to buy her citizenship.
It is frightening how many U.S. citizens might sell their citizenship for $25-million. That is tempting. How important is it to be an American? Before you answer, remember the men and women who have given their lives to preserve our citizenship, and people who right now are putting their lives in harms’ way to protect us. A greater price has already been paid to give us our citizenship.
Even more frightening is how often each of us is tempted to sell our integrity, value system, and Christian witness for some price. The price varies as the temptation presents itself. God has already paid the greatest price in the life, death and resurrection of His Son for our Christian citizenship!
Jesus had the opportunity to sell His soul when He was tempted by Satan in Matthew 4:1-11. The early Apostles had ample opportunities to sell their Christian citizenship. The early martyrs of the church had an opportunity sell their Christian citizenship, but they didn’t!! They didn’t have a price!
Thank you Yani for making a good 25-million-dollar decision!
