Entrapped? I Think Not

A well-known sports broadcaster and former football player passed away in the last couple of days. And though it’s not my forte to speak poorly of the dead, (and I have no intention of doing so here,) nonetheless I wish to allude to an event which happened in his life, as an example to the rest of us.

I’ve read, and heard commentators say that he was “set up” for failure, and the implication of “entrapment” seems to be that he had little or no choice but to make a bad moral choice. (You would have to know the story, but suffice it to say that a particular newspaper hired a call girl to entice him, so the publication could feature a story on the topic).

(And based on what I understand about the general character of the man, he would not have “bought into” the foregoing philosophy, nor indeed did he. And we are aware that he received the full and free forgiveness of his wife, and more importantly, God, Himself; for scripture assures us that our Creator is more than willing to forgive the transgressions of those who ask).

However, there is a saying which we have all, at one time or another, taken advantage of.

"It is easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission."

During the course of my 2/3 of a century on this planet I have witnessed many similar failures among presidents, law-makers, ministers, and for that matter, plumbers and garbage men. And whether the moral infraction occurs in the lives of the righteous, agnostic or ungodly, who can second guess, or deny the extraordinary temptation represented by “waters stolen in secret?” (as scripture so eloquently refers to it).

My wife and I were talking about this subject yesterday, and I alluded to the well- worn phrase which goes something like,

“We’re all human, and none of us in a vulnerable moment, and given the right opportunity, realizes the bad choices we’re capable of making.”

Well, baloney. So much for pat phrases. However, I simply cannot buy into the foregoing concept.

And not to heap garlands upon my own head, but simply to use yours truly as an example, twenty years ago when I began my career as a pastoral counselor I made a premeditated, irrevocable decision that I would NEVER allow myself to make a moral (well, actually immoral) choice regarding a client for which I would later experience significant regrets.

… And I never have.

Three words. Premeditated, Irrevocable and Decision.

To make a deliberate, premeditated, impossible to be revoked kind of decision that stands the test of time.

Some who have failed to make this sort of decision may say, “Well, I didn’t mean to do it.” But this kind of thinking and phraseology is far too passive and contributes to moral failure. Rather than “I didn’t mean to do it,” the mindset and subsequent characterization HAS TO BE a proactive one, “I meant not to do it, (and therefore, I didn’t.”)

Even in the Garden of Eden, our first father and mother possessed the wherewithal to avoid partaking of the fruit being offered to them by our natural enemy.

…They simply chose to fail.

We can go right on making bad choices, (of which infidelity is only one example) or we can make the kind of premeditated, irrevocable decisions which protect us from going down “the road most traveled.”

Don’t let anyone tell you differently.

And not to sit in the seat of judgment, as we're all included, but when we begin to make excuses and blame it on the devil, or the deep blue sea we fail to place the blame square on the source of the blame.

…It’s your choice.

By William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from "(Mc)Donald's Daily Diary" Vol. 5