men who take action.I've been listening as I go to and from school to all of this mess on the longtime Penn State football coach, Joe Paterno. It seems unending. Everyone has an opinion. Paterno has been let go from Penn State, effective immediately. Upon knowledge that his former defensive coordinator Sandusky had inappropriate contact with young boys on school property, Paterno allegedly took no real action to ensure the safety of the boys. Now, Sandusky is charged with abuse to 8 boys over a 15 year period.
Tragic and infuriating.
I saw this tweet from Matt Mosely and it hit me how incredibly polarizing this scandal has been.
"So odd to see thousands of students marching for JoePa. If they had any sense,
they'd be holding vigil for Sandusky's victims."
Paterno wasn’t a coach who was hated. Quite the contrary. He has been respected and trusted for more than 60 years at Penn State. 60 years! Nearly an entire lifetime. His players have sung his praise. His kids and grandkids proudly claim him. The University, to which he has personally contributed millions of dollars, has recognized him and spoken highly of him for decades.
That’s not entirely lost…but kind of.
My intention isn’t to bash Paterno. Far from it. I lost respect for him, that’s for sure. To be honest, I didn’t know that much about him before this scandal. But I have rumbling in my heart, 2 responses right now to this ordeal:
1) If you know me at all, you know how intently I care about the protection of kids. Child abuse, especially sexual abuse, infuriates me! The fact that Paterno could go to sleep at night suspecting that little boys were in danger and do nothing to defend them is disgusting. It reveals a terribly infested character weakness. For that, Paterno deserved to be let go and must deal with any consequence that comes. I am sick for these kids because I know what an uphill battle they will inevitably face to overcome the ways they’ve been robbed. I hate that. Truly hate that.
2) To some degree, though, I think we can all relate to Paterno – looking the other direction in hopes that it will all be ok and our reputations can be maintained or our level of comfort sustained. It most likely is on a far less devastating scale, but I would be lying if I said there weren’t moments I looked the other direction as someone was made fun of or cheated on a test or…etc. “Let he who has no sin cast the first stone.”- John 8:7. Yes, Paterno needs consequences. I support that completely. His sin found him out. Unfortunately, it affected far more people than himself alone. Isn’t sin like that? All sins cast long shadows [Irish proverb]. I take this as a lesson: live in the light and don’t hesitate to make right the injustice around me. Addressing this now is so much better than living with it for a lifetime or having a tainted reputation 60 years from now.
I respect a man who takes action. Paterno’s grand cover up stemmed from his wrongful inaction. I’ve had the privilege of knowing some outstanding men through my lifetime – pastors, friends, family, and other leaders who wouldn’t look past something like this. I consider myself very blessed. Men like this, they do exist. Yet even for those men, I’m willing to bet there are moments of infinitely smaller impact that they have found themselves paralyzed to act.
There is only One who is perfect. Thank you, Lord, for your continued mercy because as ‘great’ as we hope to be, it takes only a moment to reveal our complete depravity.
Reminding myself today:
You desperately need Him to guide.
Don’t justify inaction.
Seek His guidance constantly.
Have His word deeply rooted in your heart.
Live in the light.
Place people around you to keep you accountable.
Obediently follow His ways.
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