I have been a sports fan all my life. Great players who make big plays at crunch time have always intrigued me. What attributes do they have that allows them to be their best in the big games against the best teams? There are many traits that lead to this type of play. One of them is the ability to overcome bad plays — to overcome bad decisions on the field.
If Don Meredith (I am an older Cowboys fan!) got discouraged and wanted to quit playing quarterback when he threw his first interception, back when he was playing for the Mt. Vernon Tigers, he never would have been successful at SMU or while throwing TD passes to Bob Hayes for the Cowboys. If you make a mistake and that keeps you from tying again, you limit yourself and your opportunities for future success. Lesson: don’t let one bad throw keep you from throwing touchdowns in the future.
The same is true in our spiritual lives. One sin, one bad choice, should not be the end of our ability to be used by God. The Word is full of examples of this truth. With God’s help and guidance, our second choice can be better than our first. We can get back on track and move forward with God as our guide and help.
In chapter 11 of 2 Samuel, we read the story of some very bad decisions that King David made. He was in a bad situation that he made worse with a series of bad choices. So, how did David finally turn it around? When he was confronted with his sin by an advisor, Nathan, David admitted his sin, confessed and sought the forgiveness of his God. He could have made another bad decision here. He was the King. He did not have to listen to Nathan, but he did. David admitted that he had sinned against the Lord, and he turned his life around.
After dealing with some bad days after his bad decisions, this story ends well:
Then David got up from the ground. After he washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped.
— 2 Samuel 12:20
David was on his way back to being a King led by God!
We can overcome bad choices with God’s help by following the steps of David:
- Get up
- Wise up
- Look up to our God