One simple mistake can be costly – as Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana knows only too well.
In their recent AFCON game against Burkina Faso, the highly rated Ajax keeper flapped at two crosses swung in during an attack, missing both. The second one was the killer, being volleyed home to give unfancied Burkina Faso an unlikely lead against the AFCON hosts.
Fortunately, the setback was temporary and Cameroon went on to score two and secure the win, with Onana pulling off a number of good saves to redeem himself.
But it was another mistake in October 2020 that had more enduring consequences for the 25-year-old – he failed a routine drugs test and was banned from football for a year, not even being allowed to set foot in the Ajax stadium. He had mistaken his wife’s medication at home for his own while suffering from a headache, and had taken a banned substance.
Although his explanation was accepted after a while and the ban eventually reduced, Ajax had moved on and despite a period spent training in Spain to regain his fitness, there was no immediate route back into the first team for the Cameroonian, although he had an admirable record for a club that had come within seconds of reaching the Champions League final in 2019.
Onana is expected to move on at the end of the season, and a switch to Italian champions Inter Milan looks likely. AFCON is giving him a prime opportunity to remind people of his talents.
All of us make mistakes in life – and some can have long lasting consequences. While Andre Onana’s error was not deliberate, he still had to deal with its impact.
The Bible talks a lot about the choices we have as human beings. When we choose to go our own way, rather than God’s way, the Bible calls this sin. When we act selfishly, hurt others, and take decisions that cause pain and anguish, we have to deal with the consequences.
And our sin cuts us off from God. All of us fail to live up even to our own standards, let alone God’s. The good news is that God has already provided a solution. In John’s gospel (chapter three, verse 16) it says “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Jesus’ death on the cross saw him take the punishment we deserve for our wrongdoing. His death and return to life means that we can be forgiven for all the mistakes and sins we have committed, and have a new start.
The slate is wiped clean, we can receive God’s forgiveness, and look forward with fresh hope to the future as part of God’s family. Mistakes can be costly – but they don’t need to be fatal.