The first was a poll on Facebook that asked, "Now that Tiger Woods has apologized, do I forgive him?"
For me, that was a pretty easy question to answer. I can stand up and give a resounding "Yes! I forgive you!" Of course, that's not much of a test for me. I don't watch pro golf. I don't care who wins the Masters. I'm not going to buy an expensive watch because Tiger wears one. What Tiger Woods does or doesn't do has no impact on my life whatsoever. So, if he wants to mess it up by cheating on his wife, that's his business. If he can patch it back together with apologies and therapy, I'm happy for him.
So, I forgive him. Tiger can take that for what it's worth. I'm not the one whose forgiveness he should be looking for, anyway.
The second bit was an article about Australian Olympic star Torah Bright, who won the gold in the halfpipe.
The article made a big deal about the fact that she's a Mormon, and lives clean. The article says that she's a perfect endorser. She's good at what she does, she's pretty, and she's clean. That means that she has no skeletons in her closet to jump out and ruin the reputation of the endorsee.
A part of me wants to give good kudos to her, and a part of me is proud that she's representin' so well. Another part of me is wondering if we should be putting so much focus on her.
On the one hand, it's cool when people are recognized for living the commandments. On the other hand, we often get really picky about that stuff, even to the point of pharasitical hypocrisy. If she were to fall, she'd be in big trouble. The article mentioned that she doesn't even do caffeine. What were to happen if she were *gasp* be photographed in public with a Diet Coke? What if the cola company were to offer her a multi-million dollar endorsement deal? Remember the flack that Kirby Heyborne got into when he did that beer commercial (even though he doesn't drink beer, and wasn't shown drinking beer on the commercial)?
All I'm sayin' is that when we hold people up as examples of greatness, it inspires us to do better, but it also sets us up for disappointment. We need to keep in mind that Tiger, Torah, and everyone else, is human. We need to emulate their good qualities, and learn from their mistakes. Then, not only are we not shaken when they fall, but we can be much more compassionate for them as well.
The third thing I read today was a quick little inspirational quote that someone posted on Facebook. It nicely summed up all I've been thinking: "A man does not have to be an angel in order to be a saint." - Albert Schweitzer
Mark has a lifelong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church). Mark also has other sites and blogs, including MarkHansenMusic.com and his Dutch Oven blog.
Mark's Other Blog Posts: Dutch Oven Roast with Balsamic Glaze
Amen.
ReplyDeleteI see this often in "real life" but also within the church. We tend not to forgive mistakes people make. I was accused in high school of doing something another person with a similar name had actually done. It went to me. For all my effort I couldn't get away from the "sin" of the other person. It haunts me still. It is one reason I refuse to live in the town where it all took place. The weird thing is, only the LDS people feel a need to remind me of it. ugh. Let it go peeps.
I am grateful for the people who represent the church well, however I too feel they will be judged on an unequal scale; no matter which way they live.