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Last Saturday the Ohio State football game was not televised in our area. My sons, eternal optimists, declared that if Penn State loses to us and one other team, we make it to the Big Ten Championship game. Yippee! All the talk about Penn State's season led to an interesting conversation about Joe Pa. One son asked why the Penn State fans like him so much. Both sons predicted that when he finally retires, they will undoubtedly name the stadium after him... what a legacy.
And then...
The scandal broke. You can read about it here if you want more information. And Joe Pa was fired. In the midst of his 46th season as head football coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions. The stadium will not be named after him. There will be no final game played with tearful emotion. The players, school and students don't get to send their coach off to retirement with flair.
In one moment, Joe Pa's long tenure ends. Sadly.
James 4:17 says, "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." I doubt that the university trustees cited the Bible when they fired Joe Paterno, but this verse does summarize his downfall. He could have spoken up. He didn't. He's gone.
Yet, his legacy lives on. This tragedy teaches us all how fragile our lives, careers, plans really are. How we choose to live matters. Taking our position -- in the family, at work, in the community -- for granted, can land us in a tough situation.
Let's learn from Joe Pa. Choose today to love your family more. Listen to God's nudging -- and make moral decisions, even if they are difficult. Think of others before yourself -- put yourself in their shoes and make the right choice.
Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put devious lips far from you. Let your eyes look directly ahead, And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. Watch the path of your feet, And all your ways will be established. Do not turn to the right nor to the left;
Turn your foot from evil.
Joe Pa, my prayers are with you as you adjust to your new life. My prayers are with each player, student and child affected by this horrible situation. May God bring healing in the midst of this pain. And may we all grow wiser as we learn from your mistakes. Please God, fill our hearts with integrity.
4 comments:
Excellent post, Karen. The verse from James is especially fitting.
I pray that all do learn a valuable lesson from this in taking something to the authorities and risking being wrong, than not and having this go on undetected with many victims involved. Sad all the way around and I hope the families have some healing knowing this will not go on anymore to anyone else.
So sad yet things like this always point me to the grace of God, because it's only though Him and His grace in my life that has kept me from so much of the sinful life style.
This situation is sad especially for the children and their families. Joe and his supporters claims "he did nothing" and shouldn't have been fired. But that's exactly why he was fired, he did nothing and is just as guilty. He should've used his influence to stop these atrocities!!
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