The Power of Confession
June 24, 2010

Armando Galarraga had pitched a perfect game. Or, so it seemed. With one out to go, Indian Jason Donald hit a ball that Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrerra fielded. Galarraga rushed over and caught Cabrera's throw with Donald still a full stride from the bag. It was an out and Galarraga had made baseball history by throwing a perfect game.

But the celebration turned to disbelief when umpire Jim Joyce wrongly called Donald safe. The miffed call was quickly replayed and seen time-and-again on television sets, computers and cell phones. Everyone knew Joyce had made a terribly wrong call. We all know that was not the first time an umpire made a bad call. And it won't be the last. But it was one of the few times an umpire would make a bad call that would cost a pitcher a perfect game.

With the world watching, umpire Joyce did what players and fans seldom see from an umpire. Joyce insisted he had made the wrong call. Later, with tears filling his eyes and dripping down his cheeks, he hugged Galarraga and apologized. "It was the biggest call of my career, and I kicked the stuff out of it," Joyce said, from the umpires locker room. "I just cost that kid a perfect game."

We all know how hard it is to admit we've made a mistake, especially when that mistake hurts another person. But Joyce did the one thing a man of character will do: he admitted his mistake.

If you watched the USA play Slovenia last week then you saw the Americans denied a game-winning goal that was scored off an indirect kick. As the U.S. players charged the goal, Slovenian players grabbed their jerseys and wrapped their arms around them. Michael Bradley was bear-hugged to the ground. Replays show no foul by an American player. In fact, multiple fouls could have legitimately been called against Slovenia, resulting a free kick and a likely goal.

To put this in perspective, the U.S. made one of the most extraordinary second-half comebacks in World Cup history. They are only the fifth team ever to gain a tie after a 2-0 halftime deficit. However, they should have gone down as the first team in a World Cup to win a match after being down 2-0 at half-time.

Television replays and photographs show the call was bad. It happens in sports. It was after the call that the character of referee Koman Coulibaly was tested. Would he admit his mistake? Or, would he deny it. Truth is, he did neither. He refused to talk about it and would not even say who had fouled or how.

Like those two referees we all make bad calls. In a moment we say or do something that hurts other people. A man of character steps up, admits his wrong, apologizes and moves on from there. That doesn't undo the bad call, but it does clear the conscience and sooth the wound of the injured person. John urged us to "confess our sins" so we can find forgiveness (1 John 1:9). David praised the value of honest confession (Psalm 32). And while I realize John and David were speaking of confession to God, the principle of honest and contrite confession applies to our relationship with God and other people.

I wish I could say I've never made a bad call that hurt other people. And I wish I could promise to never make another one. Truth is, I've called it wrong in the past and will do so again in the future. But the greater test of my character won't be whether or not I make a perfect call every time. It will be what I do after I've made what's clearly a bad call. I hope when I call it wrong I'll man-up and admit it.

While confession won't make the wrong call right, it will likely make right my relationship with whomever was affected by the call. And I'll demonstrate that Christ is at work in my life.