February 9, 2007

Is there anyone in America who hasn’t heard about the story of astronaut Lisa Marie Nowak and her ill-conceived trip to Florida where she allegedly assaulted a rival for the affections of a male astronaut?

The late night comedians are having fun with this and there is plenty to be made of it. But there are other lives involved, notably her twin five-year-old girls and teenage son. Imagine the ridicule the boy, especially, will receive from classmates at school.

This is a tragic story about the depth of human depravity. The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked; who can know it?”

This story is a reminder that all of us are sinners and that we have the capacity to do things we might never imagine ourselves doing if our circumstances were similar to Lisa Nowak’s. It’s not an excuse for her behavior, but it is a warning to all of us, me included, of where we might be without the grace and power of god who constrains us by his spirit.

Is anyone praying for Lisa Nowak and what remains of her broken family? I hope so. God remains in the redemption business.

Cal Thomas is a nationally syndicated columnist based in Washington, D.C.