The other day I heard some news that kind of surprised me. I really didn't know how to feel. I was shocked that an individual with so much potential would ruin it by getting involved in a bar fight. I was saddened that this individual would not be able to be a part of something he had worked so hard to accomplish, Most of all, I was surprised that he was not allowed to play in one of the most important games of his career.
"TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin has been suspended for Saturday's Alamo Bowl after he was arrested following a bar fight early Thursday morning, head coach Garry Patterson announced."
To see the face of this individual as he apologized to his team, his coach and even his family was heartbreaking. It was obvious that he was remorseful, he was sad and he regretted his actions. I hated to see this happen to him. He asked for forgiveness for his actions and stressed his shame.
While the team forgave him, the consequences of his actions remained. Normally, I would not have watched this college game. In fact, when TCU trailed Oregon by 31 at halftime, I should have turned the television off, but unfortunately, I was one of those who regretfully believed that the entire foundation of the success of this team was Boykin. Why couldn't I turn the game off? My husband was long asleep and it was 9:30pm, already past my bedtime. Instead, I held on and continued to watch. Of course my first thought was that TCU would not be able to recover from this great deficit.
After half time, the team not only came back, they went into overtime....three times. The team that I had expected would lose because they were not playing their star quarterback had won with a back up. One would think that the consequences of Boykin's sin would be that the team would lose. That was not the consequence. A young man by the name of Bram Kohlhausen led the team to victory.
Although Boykin asked for forgiveness for his sin, he had to live with the consequences of that sin. He was not allowed to play in his final TCU game and could not honorably wear the TCU Jersey. It doesn't mean he wasn't forgiven, it just means that those were the consequences of that sin.
So many times we may ask God to forgive us our sin and when things don't go our way, we question whether he forgave us or not. For example, if an individual embezzles money from a company and they ask for forgiveness, the employer may forgive him. However, the employer can fire them as a result of the theft. Does not mean he didn't forgive them, It just means that the consequence of the sin was termination.
I know that Boykin learned a hard lesson but I pray that he finds comfort in God's forgiveness and does not dwell on the consequences of sin,
He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalms 103:9-12
Sports Illustrated (2015) TCU QB Trevone Boykin suspended for Alamo Bowl after Arrest. Posted December 31, 2015
