Forgiveness

My husband likes to watch sports (and then do super extra nerdy things. He's well-rounded). I'm sports apathetic, but I've absorbed a surprising amount of information about football and basketball--baseball continues to baffle me--just by being in the same room as the TV and ESPN. Lately there has been a lot of talk in the sports world about domestic violence and what should be done about it. I'm not here to weigh in on that topic or even whether or not the national sports organizations should be the ones handing out punishments. What I've been thinking about most in conjunction with these stories is what happens years from now. Players have lost jobs, they've lost face, and their reputation has been severely damaged because of what they've done. I imagine it will follow them for the rest of their lives and adversely impact whatever else they choose to do. And that makes me sad for them. Not because I in any way condone domestic violence, nor do I think they should not be held accountable for their actions and face the consequences, but because people can change. People can and do and will always change. So what happens to these people if they take these consequences to heart and vow that they will never do such a thing again and really make an effort to become a better person? What happens when they have a change of heart?

Sadly, I doubt much will change in the world's reaction. To the world, they will always have that taint. Their opportunities will be curtailed and shadowed by what they did in the past. The world--especially the media-crazed world of sports--isn't very generous with second chances, and even less generous with fresh starts and clean slates. Even if these athletes change their lives and become new and better people, the world won't see that. They will never forget. It's a sad fact that old scandals stick in our minds much better than current good behavior. We forget the good and see only the bad.

But God doesn't. In fact, He does the opposite. He forgets the bad and sees only the repentant and penitent good. Isn't that wonderful? Isn't that freeing? To know that no matter how badly you mucked up today, God will forgive and forget when you change? He is so generous with second chances (and third, and fourth, and fifth, sixth, to infinity and beyond) and has an endless supply of fresh starts and clean slates to give us if we reach for them. He forgives. He always, always wants to forgive, and He always will if we repent.

We are told in the scriptures that godly sorrow leads to repentance. That when we are truly sorry for our wrongful actions, we want to change. I know that's true. But I also know that sorrow is sometimes as much a weight as it is a prod. Sometimes we are so saddened by our actions that we get stuck in mourning and can't find a way to move beyond that. I think the other part of the journey to repentance is godly hope. The hope that God will forgive us and forget our sins. The hope of a fresh start. The hope that we can begin anew. Sorrow brings us to our knees. Hope--the hope of forgiveness, of fresh starts, of Heavenly Father's undying and unfailing love--lets us stand and walk forward once more.