God's Coaching #70

God's Coaching #70

Injury? What injury? In locker rooms all over the world, that’s the stance many professional athletes take with boo-boos big and small. Whether it’s the pitching ace working through elbow pain, the NFL tailback running on a tender knee, or the hockey player staying mum about the ringing in his head, athletes hide their injuries all the time.

Sometimes it’s driven by pride—the notion that “I can’t get hurt.” Sometimes athletes ignore injuries for fear of losing a starting role to a healthy teammate. Sometimes it’s just complete denial. Here are three examples:

1. In January 2010, the Boston Red Sox learned that high-priced starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka apparently hid a leg injury from them for about a year.

2. In February 2010, an ESPN.com article on US Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn and her painful shin injury claimed fellow American Julia Mancuso “and a host of foreign athletes . . . hid their injuries, not wanting to make excuses for potentially poor performances.”

3. In November 2009, the Associated Press reported that 30 of 160 NFL players surveyed that season admitted to hiding or downplaying the effects of a concussion they had suffered.

What’s the Score?

While athletes often minimize or flat-out hide their injuries, we sometimes try to do the same with our sin. We like to conceal our wrongdoings, and when we do admit to them, we tend to downplay them, like they aren’t that serious. But sin is deadly serious. Sinning, according to the Bible, is disobeying God’s laws. And it’s an insult to his holiness.

We would be wise to view our sin as God does. The Bible describes sin in the harshest language possible. Verses such as Psalm 45:7, Proverbs 6:16-19, and Hosea 9:15 use the word hate to explain God’s attitude toward sin and evil.

The book of Hosea is all about God’s judgment on ancient Israel because of the nation’s sins. Our disobedience deserves punishment and death. That’s a sobering thought. But here’s the good news: Even though God hates our sins and has every right to punish us, he mercifully chose to offer us the gift of salvation through his Son, Jesus Christ. God doesn’t minimize our sins, but he is also a God of love, not hate, who wants to forgive us.

On the Ball

Work on not hiding or minimizing your sins. Rather, take your sins seriously by confessing them specifically and asking for forgiveness from those you have offended and from God.

Coach’s Comment

The LORD says, “All their wickedness began at Gilgal; there I began to hate them. I will drive them from my land because of their evil actions.” Hosea 9:15