by Shannon Caughey

Every coach sins. Perhaps in anger we’ve said or done something that was hurtful to an athlete, an official, or someone else. Maybe we’ve allowed a critical, judgmental spirit to affect how we relate to certain individuals within our program. We could be guilty of promising one thing and then doing something else, or of allowing pride to impact our words or actions. Other sins might be an issue.

What do we do when we have sinned, whether in the context of our coaching role or another area? This is another quandary all of us face—a difficult situation in which we may be unsure how to respond or what action to take. To determine how to honor the Lord in this type of situation, let’s look to Psalm 32. In this psalm written by David, he shares what he learned when he sinned in his leadership role. Here’s what David says in Psalm 32:1-5 – 

¹ Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven,

      whose sin is put out of sight!

² Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt,

      whose lives are lived in complete honesty!

³ When I refused to confess my sin,

      my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long.

⁴ Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me.

      My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.

⁵ Finally, I confessed all my sins to you

      and stopped trying to hide my guilt.

I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.”

      And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.

When we sin—no matter what that sin is or whether that sin seems big, small, or somewhere in between—resolution only comes as we’re willing to confess our sin. David celebrates how confession of sin leads to forgiveness from God (vv. 1, 5). The original term translated “forgive” has the sense of the lifting of a burden so that we bear it no more. When we confess, God puts our sin “out of sight” (v. 1). He also removes our guilt (vv. 2, 5). In his grace, the Lord doesn’t continue to hold our past sins over us. Instead, he clears our record so that we can move forward with a clean slate.

What is involved in confessing our sin? First, we need to humbly respond to God’s conviction of our sin. We might be tempted to try to deny or ignore the reality that we sinned. David attempts this and it doesn’t go well for him (vv. 3-4): “When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.” Instead, as we experience the Lord’s conviction, we must humbly and honestly acknowledge our sin.

Second, in acknowledging whatever the sin may be, we need to take personal responsibility for this sin. If we find ourselves saying, “I should not have said or done that, but…”, we are rationalizing our sin, not confessing it. Rather than blaming others or our circumstances, confession involves sincerely owning our sinful words and actions. Notice the repetition of “my” in how David speaks about what happened (v. 5): “Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.”

Confession includes recognizing and seeking forgiveness from all whom we sinned against. This begins with God, since every sin is about rebelling against him and his good design for us. In addition, our sin negatively impacts other people. Confession to the Lord cannot be separated from also pursuing reconciliation with the people affected by our sin—whether our athletes, fellow coaches, or others. We must go to them, own how we’ve sinned, and ask for their forgiveness.

The process of dealing with our sin can feel challenging because of how humbling and even painful it is. Yet if we have put our faith in Jesus, the Bible makes clear that we can be sure of this: Christ’s death on the cross fully paid the penalty we deserve for our sins—which is eternal spiritual death and separation from the holy God. Christ’s resurrection demonstrated his complete triumph over sin and death. When we surrender in faith to Jesus, our sins are forgiven and we receive new and eternal life with God. We are still in the process of being transformed by Christ so we continue to sin. But as we continue to humbly confess our sins, we experience the reality of the Lord’s forgiveness and grace.

Coach, obviously the goal is to not sin against your athletes, fellow coaches, and others. When you do sin, however, be quick to humbly respond to God’s conviction, take responsibility for your sin, and confess this to the Lord and to the people impacted. Then you will be able to proclaim with David, “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!”

For reflection: Ask the Lord to show you any unconfessed sin in your life. Confess this sin to him, thanking him for his forgiveness. Ask him for his grace and strength to also seek forgiveness from anyone impacted by your sin.