In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Armstrong has admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France and then lying about it for years to his supporters and his sponsors. He even lied under oath at least a handful of times.
Some of us are angry, some of us are ambivalent, and many of us are somewhere in-between about the news...but watching television, reading blogs, and following social media, it seems like we're all trying to answer one simple question: Is Lance Armstrong a good person who did some bad stuff, or is Lance Armstrong a bad person who has done some good stuff?
He lied. He cheated. And (if you ask his former sponsors) he stole. He duped millions of people into believing a story that wasn't true...and made millions on the lie. But Armstrong also beat cancer and raised tens of millions of dollars for cancer research. For fifteen years he has been an inspiring figure for many young cancer patients - not because he won anything, but simply because he survived.
Deep down, is Lance a "good" person? Honestly, I don't know the answer to my own question. What I do know is that God doesn't look at Lance Armstrong in those terms. That's a human question, not a heavenly one. God isn't trying to figure out whether Lance is good gone bad or bad gone good. And, the great news is God isn't trying to figure that out about you or me either.
It's just a guess, but I would imagine you have asked the same question of yourself. Am I a good person who has made some bad mistakes...or am I a bad person who has done some good in life? I ask myself that question all the time. At the core, is there goodness in me...or not? Am I worthy of grace of forgiveness of love...or not?
Romans 3:23-24 uses some pretty inclusive language when it comes to which of us has made mistakes and which of us are qualified to be forgiven. It says, "For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and ALL are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."
Is Lance Armstrong good or bad? Are you? Am I? The answer is, it doesn't matter. Jesus died for all of us. Liars, cheaters, stealers, and all.
We, Humans, are so quick to judge others and often do so because it helps us feel better about ourselves. We know our own failings and when someone comes along who's "worse" than we are we don't feel so bad. Truth is as Romans 3:23 above says "For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,". And more importantly Romans 3:24 "and ALL are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.". So it's not up to judge Mr. Armstrong as to his goodness or badness.
ReplyDeleteHeavenly Father, help us to realize our self-worth and the worth of others through Your eyes. Help us to avoid jumping on the bandwagons of gossip, finger-pointing, hatred, stone-throwing and condemnation (which only lead to the sin of pride - thinking we are better than others), but to be instruments of Your Peace through allowing Jesus to heal the brokenness in each of us. Forgive us of our sins, Father. Help us to realize the sins in our own lives that need healing, and allow the same for others, because our lives are more intertwined than we may believe. We are all Your children. Give us Your grace to quietly pray for others who struggle with sin, or to lovingly admonish them (allowing You to speak through us at the right time)... and discern which would help the situation best, rather than make it worse. Sadly, and tragically, we have heard stories of such great public humiliation which has lead to suicide. Let us come to know the value and dignity of each person through Your eyes, so that we are not the obstruction to Your healing grace or the cause of a worse sin. We ask this, and all of our prayers, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
ReplyDeleteposted by Nancy Sinclair