January 2020 Articles

Archives by Months

Spiritual Corner: The Messy Truth About Forgiveness

Spiritual Corner: The Messy Truth About Forgiveness
I want to preface my article by saying that what you’re about to read may not be what you expect. It may be controversial to some and it may trigger a myriad of different feelings in some readers. Both my mom and husband weren’t sure if I should write on this topic, but I think it’s important and I think that sometimes we need to be convicted and we need to be prompted to look at views that possibly make us uncomfortable. With all of this being said, I’ll begin.
Many of you may have heard of Michael Vick before. He was an NFL quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons and later the Philadelphia Eagles. According to my husband, he was a pretty good quarterback, too. What he has become most known for, however, is horrific. When you google his name, some sites describe him as being associated with “torturing and slaughtering dogs”. He was arrested for dog fighting in 2007 and sentenced to 21 months in prison. While lying about it at first, he finally admitted to running a dog fighting ring and killing several dogs. There is a book published about his dogs and the awful condition they were found in, the torture they endured, and so forth. I have not read the book, but can only imagine how terrible it is and am not sure if I could stomach reading it. After his time in prison, Vick was allowed to rejoin the NFL in 2009. He was monitored by Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy who received regular updates from his probation officer as well as his psychiatrists and other outside professionals. He went on to be named the Comeback Player of the Year by the Associated Press and the Sporting News. Today, he is retired from the NFL, but he has been chosen to be an honorary captain for the NFL pro bowl. This piece of news has been met by society with outrage. There is a petition circulating that is trying to keep him from being honored as an honorary pro bowl captain. People claim that he is not sorry for what he did to the dogs, he’s just sorry he got caught. People consider him a monster and believe he is not deserving of this NFL honor. Here’s where I may step on some toes. If you know me at all, you know that I love dogs as much as the next person, probably more. My husband and I have three dogs who live in our house with us. We have a 75-pound, 6-year-old, Black Lab/Weimaraner/Great Dane mix that I rescued over 6 years ago. His name is Charlie and he is truly like my child. He doesn’t know he’s a dog. We also have an almost 3-year-old, 55-pound, white Pit Bull mix that we rescued about 2 years ago. Her name is Rylie and she is the sweetest, most mischievous baby. We’re pretty sure she had been abused because of how timid and anxious she can be at times. Lastly, we have a 1-and-a-half-year-old, 115-pound Bull Mastiff/Catahoula Cur mix that we got from a lady who didn’t realize her dog was pregnant and when she found out, she needed to find homes for the puppies. His name is Diesel and he is a gentle giant. We adore all three of our babies. Charlie was in our wedding and gender reveal. All three of them were part of our pregnancy announcement. They’re literally like my kids and they’re all so spoiled. I can’t imagine if someone were to hurt them or mistreat them. It makes me angry and breaks my heart. With all of this being said, though, I don’t think I could sign the petition saying that Michael Vick should not be honored by the NFL. First of all, he was arrested, convicted, and then served the time required of him by our country’s legal system for his poor choices. As far as I know, since he has been out of prison, he has walked the straight and narrow and has not been participating in any of his past illegal and immoral behavior. Second, his NFL success is in no way related to his moral character. He is not being honored because of his character, but because of his athletic performance in the NFL. I do not agree with the actions of Michael Vick at all. It sickens me to think of what he did to those poor dogs. It makes me wonder how anyone could be so cruel to an animal so precious. BUT, I will not be the person to say that he is not sorry, he’s just sorry he got caught. To the people who think that I ask you, “How do you know”? The answer is YOU DON’T. The only people who truly know if Michael Vick is sorry for what he did is himself and God. In 1st Samuel 16:7 God says to Samuel, “The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart”. I would also like to point out that we live in a society where everyone is so quick to say, “You can’t judge me, only God can”, however we hypocritically turn around and judge the person next to us if they sin differently than us or in a “worse way” than we do. In an encounter with a woman who had been caught up in adultery, Jesus spoke to a judging crowd, “He who is without sin cast the first stone at her” (John 8:7). The point of this scripture is that we all have sin in our lives, none worse than another’s. How hypocritical can we be to talk about someone else and their sin and just forget about or hide our sins? Let’s remember Saul, who later became Paul. Saul was killing Christians. He was murdering God’s children, in cold blood. Saul found forgiveness and redemption from Jesus and was converted to Paul who became a fearless, devoted leader for Christ. If someone as evil as Saul can be converted and changed by Jesus, how can we say that someone like Michael Vick, who tortured and killed dogs (not people, mind you) can’t be forgiven or be changed? I’m not writing this article to tell you that Michael Vick has changed. I don’t know his heart. The thing is though, God doesn’t command us to love and forgive only those who are sorry for their mistakes. It’s a difficult concept to grasp for some, but Jesus simply calls us to love & forgive. In Matthew 5:44, it says, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”. In Matthew 18:21-22 Peter asks Jesus, “’Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times?’ Jesus saith unto him, ‘I say not unto thee, until seven times: but, until seventy times seven’”. You see, forgiveness isn’t usually pretty. It’s not wrapped up with a cute, red bow. It’s difficult for us humans, it’s messy. We don’t typically like it and often times, we don’t want to do it. We don’t think the person we’re forgiving deserves a second chance. However, it’s not up to us. The fact of the matter is, none of us deserve forgiveness or a second chance, but Jesus gave it to us anyway. He wrapped his forgiveness and grace for us up in the most beautiful package tied with a bow stained red from his own blood that was shed on the cross. Jesus died on the cross so we could have a new life, a life where our sins can be cleansed, erased, forever. In Psalm 103:8-12 it reads, “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us”. So today, I’m not writing this article to in anyway condone what Michael Vick has done. I’m not claiming he is a new and changed man. I’m claiming that he’s a sinner, like me and you. I’m simply suggesting that instead of our society continuing to punish him for the rest of his life for his sins, that we consider, instead, using his situation as an opportunity for us to practice what we preach. We use this situation to practice showing grace and forgiveness like Jesus. Not because Michael Vick deserves it, but because none of us deserved the forgiveness Jesus gave us, and yet, He still chose to lay down his life for us. Our goal in this life should be to be as much like Jesus as we can be and showing grace towards those people who seem the most unlovable is a huge step in the direction of becoming more Christ-like. Forgiveness isn’t always pretty, but it can be pretty beautiful when we are the undeserving recipient of it. Source: Michael Vick google.com --Dana Alexander