I was leaving an early morning Bible study with some NFL coaches when one of the Christian players on the team walked into the team facility. I said, “John, this is a bit early to show up on a Monday after a tough Sunday game!”

He replied, “I got into a heated argument on the sidelines with the Head Coach yesterday. I need to go upstairs and ask if he will forgive me.”

John was back down in 15 minutes. 

“I told him that I was in the wrong yesterday and asked him if he would forgive me. Coach said, “That’s OK John, no problem.”

I said, “No Coach, it wasn’t OK. Will you forgive me?”

There was more back and forth, but John didn’t leave without the verbal forgiveness.

This was a head coach who had shown no interest in spiritual things. I doubt that anyone had ever asked him for forgiveness. But John was sensitive to God’s conviction and humbled himself by asking a man who would rather bury it to forgive him of his wrongdoing.

When that head coach moved on to another team a couple of years later, he asked John to come with him. When John retired from the NFL, this same coach asked him to join his coaching staff. As much as the coach was put off by anything spiritual, he had great respect for a man who valued his relationships.

It is so easy to just bury both large or small offenses between each other. We rationalize that God has forgiven us. We will both forget it in time, …maybe. We would rather just avoid the awkwardness of a personal conversation about our sin against the other person.

Every confession does not end like this one, but it is the stuff of everyday faith.

Today’s devotional is one of five this week on “Everyday Faith” by Tom Petersburg.

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