Sandlapper Sadness

If you know me, then you know that I have a special place in my heart for South Carolina and her people. I was saddened yesterday to hear the news of Governor Mark Sanford. I have met him one time, but I really don't know him so these comments are from a distant observer. As I watched the news on Wednesday, I was disappointed that another one of our leaders has fallen into the trap of sexual misconduct. I was saddened for his wife and kids, for his staff, and for the people that he leads. I was also saddened for our nation. We don't need another sex scandal hitting the air waves.

Governor Sanford ... how could you do it? Well, here's how. A person falls into sexual misconduct when he or she listens to the little voice in the back of their mind that says, "You are not getting your needs met. You deserve better than this. No one will know. She really appreciates you. He really appreciates you. She wants you and so on."

I am sure that he has heard that little voice many, many times. Then, one day when he was tired or angry or hurt or bored, he entertained that voice. In fact, he played it out in his mind. He dreamed what it would be like. He convinced himself that it was going to be better. It became such a prominent thought that he convinced himself that it was okay and that God wanted him to be happy. I mean why would have God allowed this person to come into his life if he did not approve of this relationship. There's no doubt that he rationalized his behavior long before he took the plunge. When you allow your emotions to control your mind, you can come up with some crazy thoughts. You can justify behavior that is not right. You can hurt a lot of people.

Here's the problem. Mark Sanford failed to play the next scene of this mind game. He failed to examine the consequences, public and private. Or, if he considered the repercussions, then it is evident that he blazened forward with prideful arrogance which eventually led to his fall.

Governor Sanford, how could you? What happened? Govenor Sanford fell into the trap that many people who have gone before him tripped over. He fell to the same struggle that you have and I have...the struggle to consider ourselves more than others. When we allow pride to enter our hearts, we are increasing the chances for a fall.

The underlying problem in this case is that Governor Sanford was sorry for his indiscretion. He asked his wife to forgive him months ago. What's the problem then? He failed to repent. You see many of us when we are caught in a lie or some sort of sin, we feel bad. Then, we ask for God to forgive us and hopefully the person that we have offended. That's a good first step, but Jesus calls us to repent. Repentance means that we turn around and walk a different way. Governor Sanford asked for forgiveness and even sought out counsel from spiritual leaders, but in the end, he did not turn around and walk away from the sin.

If he had truly repented after his first trip out of bounds, he would probably still be the President of the Republican Governors Association. He still be respected in the state and nation and he would still have a home to go home to. But, instead of repenting he justified his actions and manipulated the circumstances to try to cover his tracks. That seldom works because the Bible teaches that those things done in the darkness will eventually be brought out into the light.

Now, before we join together on the state house grounds with rocks in our hands to stone him, let's be honest, how are we doing with our own issues? Are there any areas in our lives in which we have allowed compromise? Have we listened to that sweet voice in the back of our minds that is laced with evil? Have spent hours trying to justify and rationalize the reasons why we do what we do?

There is no person reading this post that is perfect. We all have temptations. We all must be on our guard because we have an enemy that seeks to destroy everything that God holds dear.

It is my prayer today that God will turn this very negative situation in Mark Sanford's life and bring something good out of it for him, for his wife, for his kids and for all of the sandlappers in the Palmetto State.

--- Marty Baker

PS: For you out-of-state readers, Sandlapper is a nickname for South Carolinians. It original was used as a description of people who live in the midlands or the sand hills section of the state. In the early 1970s, a music teacher, Nellie McMaster Sprott, from Winnsboro wrote a song called Sandlappers. Students across the state learned that song in school and the term sandlapper moved from the midlands and covered the entire state. Just thought you wanted to know. How do I know that? My dad is from Winnsboro and yes I was one of those students who sang that song.