"The Vest" and John Edwards

For those who don't know me personally, I am a passionate Buckeye. I have followed the Ohio State Buckeye football team through coaching ups and downs, championship seasons and rebuilding seasons. My husband says he married the best woman on the planet because I'm as knowledgeable about football as he is. Our kids follow the Buckeyes too. Really, they don't have an option. No non-Buckeyes eat at our family table!

The past ten years, Jim Tressel, aka "The Vest," has been a strong example of integrity and faith. He often benched players for bad grades or bad attitudes. Then, Tressel resigned as Buckeye coach this week, amid allegations and investigations by the NCAA (non-sports readers, the NCAA regulates college sports and is responsible for disciplining teams, schools and coaches who violate the rules). I don't know the whole story, but Tressel compromised his integrity somewhere along the line and allowed student athletes to violate NCAA rules. His coverup is a rule violation too. Did those misdeeds help the team on the field? Did they help the students off the field? Who knows.

I hope my kids will learn that all it takes is one step away from the path God has for us to crumble and fall. It takes just one mistake. One bad choice. One compromise of values. Just one can change our lives forever.

John Edwards... same story. He's a North Carolina man. He dreamed of becoming president. His campaign screeched to a halt after having an affair with an aide, fathering her child, and (allegedly) trying to cover it up with misappropriated campaign funds.

One mistake... that slid into another... and another... and destroyed a dream. A career. A family.

Of course, God is bigger than either Tressel or Edwards' mistakes. God can redeem their lives. He alone can put the pieces back together to do something amazing -- despite their choices. May that happen for both these men.

Today I pray for my kids. May they learn from their hero's mistake. May they understand that compromising Christian values leads to problems. There's no such thing as a successful coverup, just more lies. Kids, I pray you will learn that what you do today -- right or wrong -- affects what happens in your life tomorrow.

And God, help me model wisdom. Help me nurture my kids to love what You love, to desire what You desire, and to follow You every day of their lives. Thank You for the gift of forgiveness when we do mess up. Thank You that we don't do this alone!