Reuters – Maria Sharapova of Russia wipes her face during her women’s singles match against Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic during the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, France, in this June 1, 2015 file picture.
It is difficult for people to admit their mistakes, and this is why Reverend Franklin Graham was really impressed when tennis star Maria Sharapova bravely confronted her drug use allegations and did not try to pin the blame on anyone else.
“Sharapova is losing sponsors and facing a suspension as a result of a failed drug test — but she has taken full responsibility for making the mistake herself. She is pointing her finger at no one. That’s really a breath of fresh air in a day when it seems like everyone tries to blame someone else!” Graham writes on his Facebook page.
Sharapova explained that she is taking prescription drugs for her heart issues, diabetes, and low magnesium. The tennis player said she has been doing so for the past decades. She confessed that she did not even know the drugs she was taking have been added to the list of banned drugs.
“She was guilty — and didn’t even realize it,” Graham says. He then used Sharapova’s situation to share God’s good news with other people, since Sharapova’s ignorance about the drugs she was using is similar to people’s ignorance about God’s love.
“Everyone has broken God’s laws — we are all guilty. The Bible is clear, ‘All have sinned…’ (Romans 3:23). And the punishment for sin is death (Romans 6:23). Millions and millions of people are living in sin and often don’t realize the dire consequences they will face if they don’t turn from their sin, ask God’s forgiveness, and trust in His Son Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour,” says Graham. “The Word of God says, ‘In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace’ (Ephesians 1:7). That’s even better than a grand slam!”
