There has been a flood of recent stories about high profile college coaches accused of being child molesters. It is dominating the sports world and is front page news on many news sites. I've always accused our media of being celebratory of the evil guys (not meaning they condone the acts, but promote the stories to get viewers). So has been the case with these men that now have tarnished reputations and face criminal charges. It's as though these are the only type of men in existence and the only ones worthy of news stories.
I'm not advocating that these men shouldn't have been outed and certainly not that they shouldn't be charged and punished properly, but that we don't always need these types of stories front and center 24-7. I know more than anything the that news business is a business and has to make money. They get higher ratings for stories that for whatever reason are always about the evil in mankind. And we flock to it.
But aren't there stories out there about the good guys that need to be told? I know they are boring compared to the ways that the media sells us their versions, but they need to be told and certainly need to be celebrated more so than the handful of losers that have done such deplorable acts.
This is part of the reason that it bugs me that the media hates on Tim Tebow, Denver Broncos quarterback so much. I'm not talking about those guys that are critiquing his skills as a passer or QB (as I agree on many points), but rather those guys who attack his character and faith. In a world of sports where there are many examples of life lived wrong, we attack a genuine example of how to live right. I'm not blind to the fact that Tim Tebow isn't perfect. I know that he has made some mistakes and eventually they will come to light due to his fame, but I don't think we'll find any cobwebs in his closet to the extent we are seeing with these guys currently in the spotlight.
I encourage my boys to look to Tim as a role model in his Christian faith as well as an athlete. He stands by his beliefs and gives his all. He is a prime example of a good guy that gets a bad rap for being good.
But even more so, these guys that commit these evil crimes are a minority in the world and not the standard of most men. I know a lot of guys in my hometown that I hold up as an example of how to live right. They are great husbands and fathers to their own families, but give themselves to so many others. They fight for kids like those who were abused at the hands of sick men, hiding behind their positions of power. They adopt children abandoned by those who would rather do drugs and party than raise a child. They give countless hours to teaching their own children, playing with them, loving them in ways that are beyond description.
These are the men that I want my children to know. They don't need to be exposed to the darkness but the light. I want to raise them as men who have faith, integrity, full of love, and fight for those who cannot defend themselves. I want them to be men who live by principles and not a an obsession with fame or power. I want them to understand their sinful nature so the red flags will trigger their ability to flee from their wicked ways.
We all have evil in our hearts. We can't hide that fact and we must be honest with ourselves about them. I know of my sinful desires and the danger that lies within. I have a group of people in my life that I trust with my secrets and my sins, and have told them everything so that they will protect me from myself. I've given up good things because I abuse them for sinful purposes. We fight together to keep me from making the front page news section. I know the evil that lurks within and I take action against it, as do others.
I know several men (some very personally) that have unhealthy desires but never give in to them. Homosexuals who fight the urges to give in to their lust. Pedophiles who are sickened by their own desires, but don't give in and protect themselves from even being tempted to. They have given up desires to coach, to have the internet, to marry and have children, and it is a war that rages in them but they fight with all their heart.
I know alcoholics, drug users, gamblers, sex addicts, gluttons, liars, adulterers, prostitutes and others who have walked away from such things to live a better life and are finding ministries to help others do the same.
We all have evil in our hearts.
The difference between the good and the bad, is that the good fight the evil in their own lives to protect the innocent around them. They have a desire to stop or to never give in. They have accountability in their lives, and they take a kick to the behind when needed. They don't sulk or make excuses, but realize their tendencies to abuse the good things God has given us. That's how we humans are.
We take sex, alcohol, sports, eating, money, power and a whole slew of other things and distort them to benefit us without batting an eye at how damaging it is to us and those around us.
The men who are being outed as molesters took young people and abused them to satisfy their sick desires. And then they covered it up with their positions of power and justified it with their abilities and talents. It's a sad day when children can be sexually abused without stopping it because a guy can script a great offense or defense for a football game. Stomach churning.
So, here is to the guy who does his best to love his wife and children faithfully. Who lives with a heart beating desire to love and serve the Lord and live out the principles of our faith as Christians. Here is to the guy who isn't afraid to stop these sick acts from happening regardless of the perpetrator's fame or power.
Here are to the good guys of the world who will never be mentioned in a news story, or have a book written about them or a movie depicting their life. I salute you and thank you for making the world a better place. May we celebrate these guys instead of wasting our time watching news features of those who the media celebrates.
