Ridgell's Originals

 The Shoeless Joe Jackson Black Sox are not remembered for their incredible baseball skills, but for their cheating.  The Houston Astros will be remembered more for trash cans than World Series victories.  And now Michigan will forever be tainted by the cheating during their National Championship season.

And I think there are some lessons to be learned for those of us who want to follow Jesus.  Not lessons about sports but about cutting corners to get what we want.  Not even about what constitutes cheating for a Christian, though that is a good thing to work thru.  Lying, omitting the facts, white lies, spin.  Contract loopholes.  Legal versus moral.  

So here are the things I think Christians should evaluate about cheating.

It is a choice.  It always starts with the choice.  Even if a someone (parent, boss, etc) tells you to do it.  It is still a choice.  It is a choice to do it or not.  It is a choice to repent of it or not.

And choices have consequences.  Your reputation.  Your witness for Jesus.  Your relationship with God.  But let's be honest.  There are consequences for not cheating.  You may lose -- whatever definition is used for losing.  It may cost you.  I can only imagine what would have happen to an assistant coach who refuses to "play to system."

It is also a decision whether to speak up.  Report.  Or tell.  Whistle blower.  Snitch.  Consequences here also.  To you if you do.  To you and to others if you do not.

Because in our culture, winning is everything.  Most casual fans I know would absolutely be fine with their team cheating to win if they would not get caught.  True in sports.  True on the job.  True in life.

And that is worth thinking about as a Jesus follower.  What would you do if you knew you wouldn't get caught?  Of course, the problem is that you would know.  And God would know.

The temptation to cheat is powerful. And I doubt the ones caught are the only ones doing it.  Some of these teams may not have even needed to cheat to win.  

But that is the culture we live in.

Christians are called to be different.  It is hard.  It is right.  

Do the hard things.  Jesus did.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM