So Where is Remorse?

I’m angry. I was listening to the news while I did some things in the bedroom, when a story about a doctor driving drunk and killing a 20 year old ballerina in North Carolina caught my attention. I gleaned from the story that the doctor, who had issues with driving drunk in the past, had been golfing and drinking and then went to dinner and drunk more. Then he got into his Mercedes and while driving at 85mph with a blood alcohol level twice the allowed amount plowed into and totally decimated the young woman’s car killing her.

Now while the above alone is reason to have anger, my real anger came from the fact that when this man went on trial he pled not guilty. What? I yelled at the TV. I went to the office and began raving to my husband about how I don’t get people. How, with any kind of conscience or sense of right and wrong, could someone knowingly do something so wrong and horrifying and try to get off? Have we so lost our sense of culpability that we can blatantly and with not even a wave at consequences thumb our noses at the world and just do what we please? God help us.

And then I was reminded that this is no new thing. Adam, the first man, was pretty audacious about casting blame. When God questioned him about the eating of the fruit, the breaking of the one and only rule that he had, he blamed God. His response was, “the woman YOU GAVE ME…” And it’s been downhill ever since.

There are some who might say that I am overly sensitive to this matter. I did wrong. I called the authorities. I turned myself in. I owned up to what I did. I immediately sought help for my issues. I waived a jury trial, pleading guilty. I accepted my adjudication. I have lived and will continue to live with the consequences. I have a conscience. I couldn’t live with the wrong. I had to make things right by at least stopping, repenting and attempting to find redemption and reconciliation. But the ground I stand on is a pretty lonely spot.

Here’s why I think it’s so lonely. People have become very good at justifying their actions. Classic example is speeding. Do realize that if the posted speed limit is 55, or 35, or 25, that’s the fastest you should go? Most people look at the sign and automatically add five miles per hour and they do so with little twinge of conscience because no cop worth his stuff is going to stop you if you’re only going one mile over the limit. But one mile over is breaking the law. Somehow we have determined we can take the five without consequence. How many people fudge when filing taxes, or take money under the table without declaring it? When will it stop? How?

In spite of all this frustration, I can’t and won’t side with those who are calling for justice, even though this seems to be an issue that would merit that. I am concerned that we have traveled so far from acknowledging personal responsibility and from feeling sincere remorse. There’s a sorry-ness that people experience, but typically it’s a sadness more associated with getting caught than a feeling of guilt or shame for having done something that goes against the moral standard of right and wrong.

In God’s Word we are told that what God is looking for is a broken and contrite heart when a transgression has been committed. But how can there be brokenness or contrition when there is no sense of wrong-doing as long as one doesn’t get caught? To that end, we’ve created a whole category of wrong without responsibility by calling them victimless crimes. I would posit that there is no such thing. Wrong-doing affects us all because it affects the way we think and interact relationally with one another.

So is there a solution to this? The first thing that comes to my mind is 2 Chronicles 7:14, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (NIV)” We have a spiritual blockage that needs healing. Sadly, this healing as it appears here, is only available to followers of God. It seems to me that there is a need for a great outpouring of prayer by God’s people for God’s people and for the world as well.

I’m not sure if we’ll ever get back to the time when, like on the basketball court you acknowledge your foul (even before the ref’s whistle blew) with a raised hand in ownership, but we need to pray the pendulum will swing back from the extreme where a clearly drunk and murderous man can sit in a court of law and declare is innocence in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

Oh that the healing rain of grace would fall on us and restore sanity and goodness to God’s people again.