The Avenue Blog

Today, PGA champion golfer Tiger Woods gave a statement to the media, after months of speculation, in response to the crisis he and his family has been enduring due to personal decisions he called today, “selfish and irresponsible behavior.”

In our culture today, with the instant access to news and events, people’s indiscretions are made available quickly and all too thoroughly. Not everyone’s flaws are posted on the world’s bulletin board like Tiger’s, but nonetheless, none of us are immune from faltering due to bad decisions. What really amazes me is how we are tempted to celebrate others faults and personal setbacks.

Rick Pitino, head coach of the University of Louisville men’s basketball team, too, has had his moral setbacks made public over the past year. Coach Pitino told police this past August that he had consensual sex with and paid for an abortion for the woman who has been charged with trying to extort him for millions of dollars. The woman began to pursue charges against Pitino for sexual assault, and Coach Pitino went public with the affair so he could tell his side of the story. Fast forward to last week when Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals visited conference rival West Virginia where thousands of fans mocked Pitino by chanting the name of the woman he had been in an adulterous relationship with. Fans chose to use the unfortunate circumstances of two marriages and families in turmoil to get an upper hand in a “basketball game”, what a sad statement on our culture on so many fronts.

This is at the core of each of our hearts. We relish others flaws and setbacks because it makes us feel better about our own failures, especially if it can level the playing field between the rich and popular with the average Joe. This morning I enjoyed breakfast with my son before taking him to school and we talked about the story of Zacchaeus and Jesus in the book of Luke in the Bible (Luke 19:1-9). A large crowd accompanied the presence of Jesus when he came to the town of Jericho, and Zacchaeus climbed a tree in order to get a good view of Jesus above the masses. Jesus called on Zacchaeus to come down and join him. This led the crowd to discredit Zacchaeus, a cheating tax collector who had stolen from many, and question Jesus’ motive to associate with a known scoundrel. My son and I discussed today how we all are not immune to making bad decisions, and because of this our need to be careful to not judge others when they unfortunately do the same. We have no right to condemn others for their sins, and even celebrate them, when ours are just as guilty and destructive.

The refreshing turn in the story with Jesus and Zacchaeus is him recognizing how he wronged others as a tax collector and repaid those he stole from and even gave more back in return. He more than likely wouldn’t have done this if Jesus hadn’t taken a “social chance” by associating with a known scam artist. Life is much more than pointing out wrongs, that’s to easy to do in this world which is full of six billion people who do bad things every day, but instead is about how people can find redemption in spite of their faults.

I will strive to extend grace to others when they are experiencing personal setbacks, because I pray God and others will offer me that same grace when I most assuredly experience my improprieties. I, too, hope we can see men like Tiger Woods and Rick Pitino experience redemption and transformation in their lives and marriages in spite of the daunting circumstances before them today. Don’t we all hope this for our own lives? I most assuredly hope so!