Forgetting Lance

Updated: Armstrong confesses to Oprah Winfrey about history of doping Photo - AFP/Getty Images

The news coming out of The International Cycling Union struck me this morning. I've been following Lance Armstrong's case closely (particularly as I become a "Tour de France widow" every year due to my husband's enthusiasm for cycling). A particular aspect of the story has been so spiritually stirring to me.

Many have called the investigation a waste or a witch hunt as periodic and spontaneous drug tests throughout the tours confirmed that Armstrong and company were in the clear. Yet, the investigation has found systematic deception and thus The Amaury Sport Organization, the company that organizes the Tour de France, "will erase Armstrong’s name from its record books," said today's New York Times.

We talked about this story in Newsreporting this morning and what history will recall about the years 1999-2005. Since Armstrong's victories will be expunged from the record book, there will effectively be no winner. Did you catch that? Because one man chose to involve his team in deception, there are no winners.

Whether or not you believe in a Book of Life that keeps Heaven's rollcall, the news still bears some spiritual application. We can do everything to win the esteem of men, we can rise to the highest ranks of establishments and receive accolades and adulation. But if it is all deception, if it is assisted in part by that which is corrupt or not of God, then our achievements ring hollow. Years of our lives can be as good as erased from the record.

Blessings to you all as you press forward this week--