Mike Edmisten Follower of Jesus. Husband of Nicki. Father of Ryan & Brock. Communicator of the Word.

Phelps, A-Rod, and the Church

Seems like I've had several conversations with people about Michael Phelps and Alex Rodriguez lately. Both are superstar athletes who, we have recently discovered, have used drugs.

A-Rod admitted to using performing enhancing drugs after he has denied the allegation multiple times.

Phelps was caught using drugs at a party. It cost him some very lucrative endorsements.

So what is the point of telling you what you probably already know? Well, my point is not to beat these two guys into the ground. I've already heard people referring to Alex Rodriguez as A-Roid and A-Fraud. No need to add to that.

Am I disappointed in these athletes? Yeah, I am. Has their fall been astounding? Definitely. (See my previous post.) But I don't see a need to pile on to the grief that they're already receiving. Instead, it seems like a good opportunity for us all to remember that appearances can be deceiving.

Just because someone appears to have their stuff together doesn't mean that it's true. Many people use the outer facade to hide inner turmoil.

What if the church took a decidedly different approach?

What if, instead of keeping up appearances, we dropped the mask and openly owned up to our sins and struggles?

What if we stopped viewing life as one big masquerade party and instead began to value sincerity and authenticity?

What if the church was a safe place to confess your sin and find help for your struggles?

What if, instead of immediately passing judgment when someone owned up to a failure, we gave them compassion and grace?

What if…?