Post #8
A Stone’s Throw
Howdy!
And once again welcome aboard. This is not what I originally had plan to post about, but sometimes it just works out that way. I’m going to put the fasten your seat belt sign on today, but probably not for the reason you may think. This post may hit a little close to home for some of you, and some others just may simply disregard or dismiss it, for fear of having to look in the mirror. No matter, this post is about the spirit of unforgiveness that is so pervasive in our culture today. The title “A Stones Throw “, could very easily be ” Throw a stone”. The reference here is the woman who was caught in the act of adultery. The religious leaders of the day, were attempting to trap Jesus with something that they could use to charge him with. His response was , one of the most brilliant things you could ever wrap your mind around. The law stated that she was to be stoned to death, and what happened to the man she was with?😄and yes it is exactly what it sounds like, a little barbaric for our times now. Jesus’s response was for the person who was without sin, to cast the first stone. This is not about sin, but it could be and maybe should be. I can’t remember a time in my life when I have come across so many offended and pissed of people . I sometimes wonder if they get up in the mornings and ask themselves, what they can find to be offended about for the day. It is also accompanied by a victim mentality and a healthy dose of “how dare they “! and “who do they think they are “. What I have come to observe in my own life and those around me, is that we complain about things that we quickly give ourselves a pass on. We say things like, I would never do that, or they should just know better! It is true that our society has become so much more kras, and everyone feeling as if they have the right to do and say, whatever the hell they want to, at anytime and place. Oh yes ! , its cool to use foul language around little kids or old people, no, not so much! I spend alot of my time on the road and I see people do all sorts of crazy things behind the wheel of an automobile and I immediately think to myself, how stupid and I would never do that. However, if I give it some thought, I probably have done some of those crazy things and perhaps even worse. It may have been 30 or more years ago, but I’ve probably been there and done that. If I’m being real here,?, those things would be classified as misdemeanors in life. So let’s talk about some heavy hitters.I am sure we all know of or have heard about family riffs, where people haven’t spoken to siblings, parents, ex- spouses, or you just fill in the blank for years.. Life is far to short to have so much pent up rage. Here’s one for you, they have been angry for so many decades, that they can’t even remember what they were pissed off about in the first place, sad but true. Some of these misadventures make the Hatfields and McCoy’s look like a love fest. Since I went there earlier with Jesus, let’s double back to that and talk about the “Ten Commandments “, or as most us like to think of them as the Ten Suggestions. I get that most people can’t name them, or even know what they are , but I challenge you that most of us have broken each and every one of them , myself included. This is not a new revelation for me, I had it brought to my attention about some 20 years ago, and I was astounded and majorly ashamed. See, here again we like to insert someone’s else’s name or face. Just let me quickly deal with you high “roaders.” You are thinking about the big ones, you think ok, I’ve told a lie in my life, and probably taken a pen from the office, but I’ve never killed anyone or committed adultery. Oh ! Really? Which would you like to do first the murder or the adultery thing?. We can just flip a coin here, because God just sees sin as sin and doesn’t categorize it , like we do to feel better about ourselves. When you compare yourself to other misfits ,you are still missing the mark. Jesus said if you have looked at a woman, or a man these days in a lustful manner, then you have committed adultery in your heart, I know a high standard. How about you people, who are separated, or the ones waiting for the divorce to be finalized, yeah! , its pretty much a done deal so I’m in the clear.😀. I’m not, at least anymore one of those people who want to split hairs over the intent of verses the spirit of the law, we just all need to admit that we screw things up. Ok, maybe I will own that one!, but not the murder thing. Well again Jesus up the anti here , He spoke about character assassination as equivalent to murder and for some of you , you are thinking that is a far stretch. We have all been guilty of the gossip thing and one of the things that surprise me most is, how the men folk are just as bad as the women and sometimes worse. We gather at the water cooler or in the break room, exchanging juicy little tidbits about someone that we don’t care for that much or not at all. I’m usually amazed at how the story picks up additional details and more exaggerations as it goes along. Bill who had an affair while on a business trip, now has a harem😀.The one thing that we don’t get is those people who are talking about this poor individual, yep you guess it, they talk about you to when your not around to. We rarely perceive or understand the danger and harm that we cause with our tongues and big mouths. There is a whole list of things that we have cost people because of our carelessness to gossip about them behind their backs. Just to name a few jobs,, promotions, self-esteem , and the worst of all is loss of relationships. Remember every time that you encounter this, you can choose to extinguish it by pouring water on it or ignite it a blaze with gasoline in the form of joining in.. Again I remind you that we are often guilty of the things that we point fingers at about other people. The one thing that I have learned is to never say that I would never this or that, because God has a sense of humor and I know first hand, how He loves to make an example out of me to prove that point. I’m not saying that God is out to get us, its more of a reflection on how slow I can be. I need to bring this train into the station. I once knew a lady, who had her mother killed by a guy in the commission of an armed robbery. I’m never going to sympathize with a criminal and thier extenuating circumstances. This guy was high on drugs, and I believe that he was convicted on something other than first degree murder. This lady moved over 900 miles away, because everything there reminded her of the loss of her mother, and I get that. The thing that I found troubling was that for the next 30 years, every time this guy came up for parole, she travel the 1800 miles round trip to voice her concerns to keep him incarcerated. I know that forgiving someone who took your mother away is a big ask, but the thing that she didn’t get is that she was serving time with him, and probably even worse because she was free to move on and chose not to. When we harbor unforgiveness it takes a huge toll on us, its like carrying around this huge weight and it keeps us prisoner. And sometimes it even manifest itself in health issues. The one character in the Bible that I most associate myself with is Peter, because he was always open mouth and insert foot. On one occasion he thought he was being studious, and being generous and asking God if forgiving someone seven times was sufficient . God’s reply was seven times seventy, which in our mindset is absolutely crazy. The point here is that we all mess up and if we truly understand what God has forgiven us for, how can we not forgive others. There is an oxymoron at play here because, the whole premise of Christianity is built on forgiveness, and at the same time, Christians can be some of the most judgemental and unforgiving people you will ever encounter, yes my brothers and sisters. It reminds me of racism a little bit, and you would be surprised by who are some of the most racist people are, but we will have to tackle that some other time. If you guys have been with me the whole time, then you remember me mentioning my ex and her theory on forgiveness, if God forgave them that’s his prerogative. The solution is absolutely GRACE!, we all need it. When was the last time you stopped and thought about the other person and what thier day may have possibly been like. They could be having the worse day of their lives and could have gotten the worse news ever, be it a cancer diagnosis or a spouse just killed in a car accident. We all need to stop and be more considerate of others and less about me, me, me. I’m not telling you that I always get this right because that would be a bald face lie, and I will do you one better and tell that I know that I get it twisted, more than I get it straight. Again, for all of you , who think that you take the high road, my challenge is this, if you aren’t part of the solution, then you are probably a part of what’s wrong with our world.
The forgiveness thing is huge and its hard, and its a process, and rarely is easy going, what I mean by that is you have to choose to continually to forgive and give up your right to hold something against someone . It is one of the most rewarding gifts that you can give to yourself and often the other person is unaware of your hurt and pain anyway, so it only hurts you to hang on to it. I think its a ludicrous idea to say forgive and forget, we rarely forget pain, but we can learn from it. Don’t let people live in your head rent free, just embrace forgiveness.
Until next time ✌
Sandy the Southerner
