Doing The Right Thing

A little drama unfolded in the area where I live this past week. Actually, it was a big drama. I live in an area of the "Bible Belt" and an area where "Football is King" and these two collided and caused quite an explosion.

The head football coach of our university's team (who is married and has four college age children) made a series of very poor, selfish choices. In a week's time he went from being on the pinnacle of the world to experiencing a long and painful slide to nothingness.

It all started with a motorcycle ride on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. The motorcycle crashed on a curve and ended up in a roadside ditch. The coach ended up with broken bones and lacerations. He was transported to a hospital and released four days later with casts on his broken bones and a brace on his neck.  He oversaw spring football practice on the day of his release from the press box and all seemed well in our little college town.

But, alas, the truth has a way of coming out. When the state police released their report it was discovered that there had been a blonde woman half the coach's age riding on the back of the motorcycle. The coach had told everyone point blank that he was riding by himself.

It escalated from there as these things have a way of doing. It was found out that he had recently hired the woman for an administrative position on his staff that 139 other people had applied for. And that he had given her $20,000 for an undisclosed reason.

Our athletic director put the coach on unpaid leave while he sorted through the whole sordid mess. Our fans polarized into two camps: those who wanted to keep him regardless of what he did so we would have a chance to compete for a national championship; and those who thought that honor and integrity were more important than winning and wanted him gone sooner rather than later.

Praise God, our athletic director did the right thing. He fired him immediately, at a loss to the coach of several million dollars a year salary, stating that no one person was more important than running an honest program and that the student athletes needed a coach that could be trusted. Unfortunately, doing the right thing doesn't happen often enough in college athletics today.

I told this story because I think it's a good illustration that God's way is the only right way to go. When a man (or woman) tries to go his own way, the temptations of the flesh and the pull of the world are too much to overcome, and you will end up losing everything that matters.

"Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts", II Timothy 2:22. NLT

"Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth. Give me purity of heart, so that I may honor you", Psalms 86:11. NLT