Friday, outraged parent Randall Margraves lunged at sex offender Larry Nassar in a court room for violating his three daughters. This incident put sexual misconduct front and center in the news . . . again. Week after week, month after month, prominent people are losing their jobs over sexual improprieties, and are landing in court . . . and some, like Nassar, are landing in prison for a very long time.
What is God doing in all of this?
Ironically, God appears to be helping America regain its conscience. Like nothing I have seen in recent years, society at large is observing the seriousness of violating others for one’s own pleasure. Suddenly more people are understanding that there is a wrong way and a right way to live out one’s sexuality, and our court system is showing there are serious consequences for making wrong choices. In other words, right and wrong is trending again!
This sudden awareness of wrongdoing goes well beyond the recently exposed public figures. Behind every Larry Nassar, Harvey Weinstein, Matt Lauer, and Charlie Rose are thousands who have been enjoying similar behaviors at the expense of others without a guilty conscience . . . until now.
I believe millions of men are likely shaking with the thought, “Famous powerful people are losing their jobs left and right and ending up in prison for behavior I’m participating in. OH, NOOOOO! What’s going to happen to me?!” Indeed, it appears that God may be re-sensitizing the conscience of our “anything goes” nation.
And let’s not forgot that God may have further purposes, such as bringing sex offenders to humility, repentance, and faith. It is humiliating to have one’s dark side exposed, but sometimes it is only because of exposure that some are compelled to face their demons and genuinely ask for help. (This is evidenced in many of our own testimonies.) In this heart posture, anyone is only one prayer away from coming to faith in Jesus and starting a new life—including those accused of sexual misconduct.
Apparently, something significant is taking place throughout our sexually charged nation. Let’s continue to discern the hour and respond in faith—not fear. God is up to something.
