I have been debating long and hard over the last several days about what to write about concerning the news that Lance Armstrong would not fight the charges brought against him of doping while professionally cycling by the USADA. I am by no means a legal expert or a professional athlete that has been under the scrutiny of adhering to conduct becoming the aforementioned title. I am an age group athlete who loves to compete and push himself to new limits to be better physically, mentally, and spiritually through the vehicle of endurance sports. I don't have the voice or means that others like him have in the sports world, but I do have some thoughts and views that hopefully will change your way of looking at this or if not, at least get you to think beyond what you read in the media. So, here goes my two penny's worth.
My viewpoint on this whole fiasco is going to be similar to what a lot of people have already expressed, but I am also thinking about this from a viewpoint as a follower of Christ and someone who thinks beyond the media and looks at this from a human stand point. Everyone to seems to forget that we are talking about someone's personal life and how this affects them. We tend to lose sight of the fact that Lance is a normal individual with a family and responsibilities just like us. Now, his achievements in sport have obviously enabled him to be better off financially than a lot, but that does not mean that he is above anyone else when it comes to needing the grace of God that us fellow believers have received when we were not worthy of things ourselves. The Bible is very clear in 1 Cor 13:7 in the Amplified when it states that love, "is ever ready to believe the best of of every person." When this passage talks about every person, that is exactly what it means, "every" person. I find it amazing on what is being said on the social media sites from people who have formed their opinion about this matter without knowing the facts. No one has any clue as to the detailed facts about this except Lance. So according to my biblical responsibility, I am going to believe the best about him.
One thing that really concerns me is how others are going on the attack against Lance and are not addressing the legal infringements that are taking place. The current facts are that we have charges filed against Lance with the USADA based upon testimony from individuals who have already admitted guilt to doping or who were promised immunity or the ability to keep racing if they complied with the investigation. So, if this is correct, individuals who have personal vendettas against me or who have something to gain can bring forth charges against me without any shred evidence in a court of law and I can be found guilty? I don't know where we have gotten off based in this country, but this is crazy, let alone unconstitutional. If I have been subject to thousands of drug tests and have not tested positive on any of them and yet I can be pronounced guilty based off of someone else's testimony in a court of law, then we have went off the deep end constitutionally. In the land where you are innocent until proven guilty, this should be an outrage and yet no one is addressing this. Having been falsely accused of something in my younger years and having been in the position to where no one believed my innocence, not even my own mother, I can empathize with Lance. My situation was not even close to being under the magnifying glass as his case is, but none the less, it still did not feel any better.
One can always argue that there are ways around the tests, but once again that violates my responsibility to think the best of him. I would much rather be in the position of being able to reconcile someone to God as stated in 1 Cor 14, then not being able to speak into someone's life because of my failure to exhibit the love of God to them. The people that do speak these horrible things do not think about what this does to the individual let alone his family. The media is quick to promote someone out to the forefront as the next hero and they are just as quick to tear them down for the next big story. Our command as believers is the ministry of reconciliation and that is where I want to be.
If the news ever did come out that he had actually done what the media has declared, would it change my opinion of him? Is it like finding out that Batman is really Bruce Wayne or Spiderman is really Peter Parker? There is always a little sense of disappointment when we find out that our heroes are also human , but we as believers should be there to help restore those who have fallen and give back what was so freely given to us. Every one of us at some point of time and have needed help and have had others give us that help. That is what in this debate we cannot lose sight of, Lance is a human being and needs our support as one.
So, right, wrong, or indifferent, this is my two cents worth on this. I would revel the day to be able to sit across from Lance and discuss family, life, endurance sports, and just him as a person because I care for him and not what the media has created. His achievements still inspire me to be a better athlete to this day and no one can take that away. But all his athletic achievements aside, I am more interested in the person of Lance.
Have a great day!
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