michael vick’s a jerk…and so am i…
The news of Michael Vick's return to the National Football League has been the buzz nearly everywhere for the last week or so, and has taken a life of its own since Thursday when the Philadelphia Eagles signed the man to a two year deal. My thoughts on Vick were less than glowing prior to his incarceration, and after he found himself in a heap of trouble for dog-fighting I really lost what little respect I had left for him as a person. There are some people you just don't like. Michael Vick is one of those people in my eyes. That's my sin and I need to rid myself of that. At the start of his animal cruelty legal woes he claimed to have become a Christian. In his words, "I'm upset with myself and, you know, through this situation I found Jesus and asked him for forgiveness and turned my life over to God..."
I'll be honest, I heard those words and I had a hard time believing him (still kind of do). When I first read that statement I questioned his sincerity, after all those words themselves are so very generic. If he used words like "transformational power of the cross", "sacrifice", "broken" or "humbled" I'd be more inclined to believe the guy. ...and therein lies the proof that I sometimes act like a self-righteous (yes, a bit legalistic) jerk. If only he spoke Christianese better, then I'd be able to buy into his finding Jesus claim. He could very well be lying through his teeth about being a changed man, but I'm convicted of how quick I am to judge that faith by measures that exist nowhere in Scripture.
This guy has a past riddled with "dumb"...there was the Ron Mexico ordeal, then the weed water bottle fiasco, his idiot kid brother Marcus, more weed issues... Just not what any semi-classy person would consider a role model. Then there was the dog fighting stories that made life for Michael Vick rather unpleasant. The things he did to those animals is just horrendous. He gave consent to have them hung by trees. He allowed them to be electrocuted. All because they didn't perform well in the fights. It's disgusting.
My natural reaction is to say: once a savage, always a savage and condemn him for ever. However, the idea of grace has been messing with me for a while. I way too often choose who is worthy to be shown grace. Since I profess to be a Christian I am called to reflect God's love and grace to others. I don't reflect that love and grace very well. I am taking a step to extend grace. I sincerely hope his claims are genuine. I hate to look like a fool, but if that's what happens so be it. He has a good man in his corner, Tony Dungy. Dungy's a man who has exemplified what it means to be a Christian man in a fallen world. He seems to believe that there is some part of Vick that desires to put off the old. My Philadelphia Eagles, an organization that has made such a strong stance on character, is sticking their necks out for this guy. My fellow fans are torn, but I'm pretty sure most will get behind him if he performs on and off the field. There are a lot of people invested in him right now. There's a strong possibility that he makes us all look dumb for giving him a second chance, but as Christians we're called to look dumb because the concept of grace and of unmerited love are so foreign to this world....it's bound to look like foolishness.
Do you despise Michael Vick? Do you feel he is unworthy of a second chance? Or a third chance? Or a fourth chance? Is there any end to the number of chances God gives us? There was that time you spat in His face and yet he didn't fry you to a heavenly crisp...there was discipline and another opportunity to try again.