Remember the Marion Jones scandal? It all started when her ex-husband (C.J. Hunter) testified, under oath, that he saw her use performance enhancing drugs before the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Immediately thereafter, Jones vehemently denied all accusations to the press and two grand juries. She even divorced Hunter, claiming, among other things, that his accusations were ruining her image. In 2007, however, her story changed from denial to admission; she had used steroids. As a result, she was imprisoned and lost all of her medals and rewards from the 2000 Olympics. She could have avoided most of these consequences if she had confessed, and not concealed, her illegal activities.
If you think Marion Jones went to the extremes to cover her tracks, then wait until you hear about David. David had an affair with another man’s wife, and she got pregnant. Instead of admitting his affair with Bathsheba, David tried to remove all the evidence. First, he tried to get her husband to sleep with her. When that didn’t work, he had her husband killed. Then, to legitimize her pregnancy, he married Bathsheba. And, what happened to David? The baby died, and worse, God was not pleased with David.
David and Marion Jones remind us that concealing our mistakes is never a good choice. If you mess up, just admit it, and deal with the consequences. People tend to forgive quicker when you just acknowledge you errors. More importantly, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (1 John 1:9, New Living Translation).