There's much chatter about Michael Vick's apology regarding his dog fighting charges. He apologized, seemed to take responsibility and shared that he had found Jesus.
Searching Michael Vick
There were over 400,000 hits on "Michael Vick Finds Jesus." Most of the comments I read were very cynical and doubted Vick's sincerity.
Of course it's awful that he participated in dog fighting, financed the atrocious acts and was connected to the killing of several dogs. I hate that those dogs were hurt and killed. He could be sentenced to five years. He'll probably spend 12 to 18 months in jail, have to pay hefty fines and deal with the consequences to his career.
Video Of The Apology
What's Our Response?
I'm not sure. What he did was awful but he seems to be taking responsibility for his actions. As evident from his words, he tried to speak from his heart stating:
"First, I want to apologize for all the things that I have done and that I have allowed to happen...I want to apologize to all the young kids out there, for my immature acts, and what I did was very immature, so that means I need to grow up.
"I totally ask for forgiveness and understanding as I move forward to better Michael Vick the person, not the football player. I take full responsibility for my actions.
People say that a lot: I take full responsibility for my actions. But what does that mean? Janet Reno said it but kept her job. It's easy to say but hard to do. Yet, taking responsibility is a first step toward growing up. Good for Vick if he's sincere. He continued,
"I feel like we all make mistakes. I made a mistake in using bad judgment and making bad decisions. Those things just can't happen. Dog fighting is a terrible thing and I didn't reject it. I'm upset with myself and through this situation I've found Jesus and asked him for forgiveness and turned my life over to God, and I think that's the right thing to do as of right now.
I watched him on television as he made the statement. As he said, "I've found Jesus and asked him for forgiveness" he briefly displayed an inner joy. That seems like the real deal. He also said, "that seems to be the right thing for right now." I hope he's not looking to God only for the moment.
He added: "I have a lot to think about in the next year or so...I got a lot of down time, a lot of time to think of my actions and what I've done, and how to make Michael Vick a better person. Thank you."
Let's pray that Vick chooses to walk with Jesus, to grow in his relationship with Him, and to change his life for the better. Let's withhold judgment and let's pray for Vick and his family.