What Could Have Prevented Brian Williams' Troubles?

I feel bad for Brian Williams. I know he blatantly lied and is now dealing with the consequences of that error and I understand people should be held accountable for their behaviors. But when I think of a person being embarrassed by his own wrong-doing I can’t help it. It saddens me. Maybe it’s because I know full well the reality of this truth: There but for the grace of God go I.

But there is another issue that occurs to me, as I think about this story: One of the most important aspects of life has to do with who we are becoming. This may sound incredibly simplistic, however, what we bring to our families, our jobs, our relationships—for that matter—what we bring to every experience of our lives is the person we have become. In fact, a key part of our purpose in life has to do with who we are becoming.

For followers of Jesus one of the main objectives of life has to do with who we are becoming. Specifically, we are in an on-going process of becoming more like Christ.

I bring this up because this episode in Brian Williams’ life, though obviously painful, is an opportunity when it comes to the matter of who he is becoming. Mistakes of this magnitude can seem earth-shattering when we are going through them, however, they can often be some of the most powerful and effective catalysts for growth. Mistakes can be powerful and effective catalysts for becoming better, wiser, more mature, more compassionate, more humble, more honest about ourselves.

You might be thinking: “You must be kidding me, Dan! Are you really offering up this pathetic ‘who you become’ stuff in light of the kinds of problems Brian Williams is dealing with?”

Please understand I do not mean this in a condescending or self-righteous way, I write this with genuine sincerity: Is it possible that paying more careful attention to who he is becoming could have prevented him from winding up with these kinds of problems in the first place?