Rescued:Freed From Our Shame

You broke the bonds

And you loosed the chains

Carried the cross of my shame

Took the blame, you know I believe it

U2 I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For

 

I felt a little flat this morning while reading the Bible and spending time with the Lord.  No real enthusiasm, just sort of going through the motions. Well, I don’t like that kind of lukewarm sensation so I did what I often do: I thought about what Jesus had done for me, 2000 years ago, as well as that summer 17 years ago when he rescued me from myself.

 

And somehow I was reminded of the Athletic Director at the University of Georgia and his most unfortunate DUI arrest a couple of years ago. Here’s his story:

 

Arrested for DUI                     

Had a 28 year old girl in the car with him

Had her underwear in his lap

Married, with two kids

 

Okay, so imagine you’re this young man: 40 years old. The AD at Georgia. The dream job for you; the pinnacle of your career dreams. You’re married with two children. Life is good and you are the man.

 

But as you stand before that officer, blue lights flashing and whirling around you, your life is teetering on the edge of a deep, dark abyss. Can I just get you to stop for a moment and try to put yourself in his place? It horrifies me just to think about it. I can feel his pain, viscerally. Can you?

 

What would you give to have this go away? What would you do to get out of this?

 

The young AD said to the officer: “I am not trying to bribe you, but I am the AD at the University of Georgia …  is there anything you can do without arresting me?”

 

My own heart is racing just reading this. I would be pleading, “Anything, please, sir, anything, please, just don’t let this become public. I have too much to lose.”

 

Now here’s what I want you to picture next:

 

You’re this young AD and you’re standing in a room, with your wife and kids just outside, waiting to see you – your beautiful kids waiting to see their daddy (Or their mother for you ladies). Your elderly, saintly parents are outside and behind them the 1,000,000 people who are going to know all about this. None of them yet know what the problem is. They don’t know about the DUI, or about the panties, yet.

 

You know in two minutes your whole world is going to collapse. It’s over for you. Nothing will ever be the same, not for the rest of your entire life. How will you ever recover? How will you endure the look on your wife’s face, the confused and painful expression on your children’s sweet faces: “Drunk, Daddy? Panties? I don’t understand, Daddy?”

 

And into the room steps Vince Dooley, the beloved former AD of Georgia. A legend of integrity and forthrightness and success. Loved and revered by all. You have no idea what’s coming next. Will he express his disappointment in you? Will he tell you how pathetic you are?

 

No, instead he turns to the officer and says, “I’ll take this man’s actions on myself, sir. Let him go free, and instead take me out in front of the public and tell them it was me who was in that car. Tell them it was me who was drunk and it was me with that young girl. Put the panties in my lap. I’ll take the blame.”

 

You are free. Your record is wiped completely clean. No shame. Freed!

 

Someone else took your place. Someone else took your shame on themself.

 

We wrote recently about God being your #1 Fan. He adores you. He loves you. And he sent his son to take the blame and to take the shame for you.

 

Do you think this young AD would be lukewarm towards Vince Dooley after this? Could he possibly talk about him with just an air of indifference? Would he think about Vince Dooley maybe a couple of times a week, maybe, and, of course, on Sundays?                     

 

Or do you think he would become Vince Dooley’s #1Fan? Devoted. Grateful. Changed.

 

This is what Jesus did for you 2000 years ago. Are you his #1 Fan?