2 Lessons From Bill Cosby’s Sexual Abuse Case

In June 2022, I was scrolling through the news feed on social media when I chanced on the reportage that American TV entertainer Bill Cosby has been found liable over sexual assault of a teenager in 1975. Bill was found to have sexually assaulted the 16-year old girl which has resulted in paying $500,000 in damages. It was a 7-year legal tussle that started in December 2014 and ended in 2022.

What can we possibly learn from this case of someone who has toiled so hard to build over 5 decades of entertainment success only to be crushed by actions in the past?

Below are my two quick lessons we can all take away:

#1. What We Did Yesterday Can Hurt Us Today

The first lesson we can learn is that what we did in the past can hurt us today. Bill who is known for his TV comedy series The Cosby Show had this incident back in 1975 but the effect has come to visit him in 2022. Actions indeed have consequences. It has damaged his hard won reputation.

It goes for all of us that whatever we have done in the past will one day come home to visit us. Whereas some cases can be handled without blowing into a court case, others can be resolved by personal changes. If for nothing at all, it will keep visiting your mind. If we all knew what we know now, we would not have taken some actions in the past. Paul says that what happened in the past in the life of the Jews was for our example (1 Corinthians 10:11). It is not always that we must fall into such mistakes to learn. We can learn from others.

#2. What We Do Today Can Hurt Us Tomorrow

Seriously, we cannot cry over spilled milk. We have all made some devastating mistakes and choices in life in the past. But we have another chance not to repeat those decisions again. From Bill’s past case, we can learn that we must be conscious of our choices today because today will become yesterday when tomorrow shows up.

The Chinese have a popular proverb that says: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” If we could not plant good trees yesterday like Bill, we can learn from him to plant our own good trees today so that we will enjoy its shed tomorrow.

Paul the Apostle said in Galatians 6:9 that,

“And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

It will be very easy to accuse Bill and make mockery of him that he made such a terrible mistake in the past. But the question is: what will you learn from it yourself? People make mistakes. We make mistakes. I love to learn from such mistakes to guide my steps in life because I am also prone to mistakes. That’s why I rest on the able power of Christ Jesus to walk this journey knowing that He makes intercession for me and other saints so that we will not fall (Romans 8:27; 8:34).

May God guide us not to fall into temptation and destroy what we have worked hard for.

What have you learnt from this post? Share with us.