True Repentance

I was watching a clip showing a foul in a women’s basketball game. Many of you have probably watched it as it occured many days ago. It was between DiJonai Carrington of Chicago Sky and Sophie Cunningham of the Indiana Fever. It was clear that Dijonai wasn’t jumping high enough to block the ball, nor was her arm appearing to reach for the ball. She didn’t even try to avoid a collision. Her arm wrapped around Sophia’s head in a very brutal attack. It was initially just called a foul, but after a lot of protest and reviews, it was changed to a flagrant foul and she was kicked out of the game. I wasn’t even thinking of a black on white issue until DiJonai posted from the locker room, “White Privilege”. My thought is, if she doesn’t see what she did as a flagrant foul, then she has no right to play in a league and put other players in danger. I don’t know for sure, but I believe she was finally suspended pending further review. If I was on the board, determining how long she would be suspended for, I would weigh heavily against her due to a lack of repentance. If there is no repentance, the action will be repeated again. On Sundays, after the confession of sins, we hear a passage from 1 John that states, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” We usually miss the next verse which states, “If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” None of us are free from sin and to say otherwise would be terribly dishonest. If, however, we refuse to confess our sin or repent of them, there is no hope of forgiveness. It is not like a presidential pardon that may not always consider if someone is truly innocent before granting them freedom, on principal or personal favor. Our forgiveness is not automatic. If there is no faith, no confession, no repentance, not real contrition, there will also be no forgiveness. We are not to confess just because we got caught. We confess because we were wrong... we sinned. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Father, we want to walk daily with You and so we acknowledge that we have sinned and need Your healing. Amen