Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 2011: For those with integrity, ice skating can be exhilarating and/or relaxing. But for those in darkness, the ice thins and thins. Without the light, things begin to sag, and ultimately plummet.
From Trent Ling:
“I will make them abhorrent and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword, an object of ridicule and cursing.” Jeremiah 24:9.
How the mighty have fallen! “JoPa,” the grandfatherly term of endearment long bestowed upon Penn State football coach, Joe Paterno, has today become a toxic byword of derision, recoil, and horror in light of his scandalous program heretofore admired for decades as of enviable propriety. Impartially, with no axe to grind against the deceased, spiritual records must be straightened and barometers recalibrated.
“So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.” Romans 14:12.
Since each and every person will be giving an account to God, how little is it to ask or expect that men also give account to other mere men? Consider it practice for the eventual showdown with God. Or deem it one honorable man’s duty to account to his fellow man. Whatever the reasoning, a modicum of heart and sensibility calls each of us to give adequate explanations of ourselves to God and to men. While people often give each other a pass on this so that all may agree to stay in the dark, God refuses to tolerate such cowardice.
“But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.” Hebrews 10:38.
“But, we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.” Hebrews 10:39.
Those who shrink back receive the full brunt of God’s displeasure, while those who believe simply do not shrink back in the first place. Ways around these verses do not exist. JoPa had a chance while living to account for himself, to take responsibility for his great failures, and to lead like he had always been given credit for leading. Instead, he shrunk back from the issues, inquiries, spotlights, and unfolding storylines. Now deceased, JoPa will never again be afforded the chance to account and help people emerge from this incalculable mess. Doing exactly the opposite of the call of the Scriptures, JoPa surrendered his gentle moniker to a 180-degree shift and will now forever be remembered as the guy who spent decades keeping secrets, covering crimes against children, and ultimately going mum when his hour of earthly account came about.
So what about us? When time and chance call for us, we cannot sulk or shrink back. We must come clean and come strong. Otherwise, we abandon our callings, relinquish our voices, and shirk our roles in telling and accounting for our act. In that, justice would also relegate our names to byword status. Learn from JoPa that such is clearly the worst possible way to exit this life. Worse yet, it represents a horrific preamble to pulling up a chair before the Big Fella who honors neither the Fifth Amendment nor shrinking violets supposedly one day made in His image.
Please feel free to join and further the discussion via the options below. No email or website information is required to post comments (unless you seek the notifications offered).
Small follow-up I started to think about the posting a bit more throughout today, and I began to consider how really selfish ambition destroyed so many lives here. The coach wanted to be #1 and at what price? The innocence of children. He had to have hardened his heart and turn a blind eye to all of it in order to continue at record breaking wins. It reminded me of James 3:16 “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” Stories like the above should serve as warnings and also points of examination for people to find out what things they harbor due to selfish ambition.
You know, stories like these that involve children I hate too read too closely about or even listen. I just automatically deem it deplorable and don’t look long enough to even get anything more than idea of poor children and how awful about these sinful men with selfish ambitions. I’m sure glad that there are others, like you, who can look at it and draw from it powerful teachings. I’m a shrinker backer in heart and even just reading the news about what may be happening that resembles anything like these stories. Thank you for sharing love you.