I wonder whether John Terry feels regret for sacrificing the possibility of lifting the World Cup later this year for some sex outside of his marriage? Is a bit of short term “fun” worth the certain longer term pain that it always causes? JT is a great and inspirational captain at Chelsea FC. His manager, Carlo Ancelotti has reportedly claimed he has no interest in the sex lives of his Chelsea stars as long as they perform on the pitch – not caring who they go to bed with. Really Carlo?

 

Can we do as we please and not pay a price? Can we really separate living healthy morals and values from the rest of our lives? Do wrong life choices affect us more than we realise? Of course they do. We can each mask the effects of bad choices but there is always a price to pay for living outside the boundaries of true love and responsibility.

 

We love to live in unreality and escapism. Deluding and deceiving ourselves into thinking that personal happiness is the answer to everything. At what price!? If not the pain caused to wives and partners, or children and grandparents, how about the regrets and the ultimate loneliness that unfaithfulness and broken trust will surely bring? And what about the insecure children who grow up thinking that promiscuity and unfaithfulness are normal and acceptable?

 

The search for happiness can be long and meandering. It’s only when we understand and embrace the truth that love is about giving and not about getting that we have a chance at the discipline of self-control. The stark and honest truth is that we forever mess up and fail. That’s why Jesus Christ is good news. In football terms a transfer has taken place. He exchanges our lack of self control and self centredness for His purity and wholeness. He also gives us the possibility of a different life because He is the embodiment of love, the kind of love that is about sacrifice and generosity.

 

Before we rush to judge JT and others like him we do well to remember that Jesus’ definition of adultery includes just thinking about someone else lustfully. In looking at the issues raised by those we esteem as icons and role models, let us consider our own lives and failures. These are crucial issues for every community and nation. At the heart of any community is the stability and strength of marriage and family life. Any choice that undermines this ultimately undermines the very fabric of community and national life.

 

Steve Prince, is the leader of Brookside Church, Earley, Reading, he is also the Chaplin to Reading Football Club. In this article Steve comments on a very real issue facing society today.