After scrolling through my Facebook NewsFeed this evening, I was reminded of a sad truth:
we live in a culture here in America where we do NOT tolerate mistakes. We don’t tolerate failures, inadequacies, bad choices or negligence. We live in a culture of shaming. We slut-shame, we parent-shame(specifically mom-shame), we fat-shame… When we are faced with other people’s mistakes or skeletons from their closets, we feel self-righteous indignation and then go share our thoughts with the world!
We post statuses that begin with “To the idiot barista at Starbucks who clearly didn’t pass the 10th grade….” or “To the driver of the 1974 Chevy p.o.s that cut me off not once but twice today…” or “To the Mom of the year who stupidly left her kids in the car while she went into Target….” or “To my neighbor who clearly doesn’t speak any English and is probably an illegal…”
We say these things with one purpose and one purpose only: to put other people’s ugliness–their sin, their mistakes, their shameful behavior– ON BLAST. Well, the second reason we do it is to make ourselves feel better. It’s so nice to be able to say to ourselves, “I mean I’ve done some pretty dumb stuff but at least I never did (fill in the blank) like that person!”
And while that kind of talk and behavior is absolutely deplorable, unfair and mean-hearted, I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t guilty of it too.
But seeing all of the statuses on Facebook tonight was just such a perfect reminder of who Jesus is, what Jesus does and what Jesus doesn’t do.
He doesn’t take our faults, mistakes, failures and bad choices and broadcast them for the entire world to see. He doesn’t put a picture of us on the tv or a billboard or on social media so that others can jeer and laugh at us. And he doesn’t shame us because we’ve wandered astray sometimes(and by sometimes I mean all the time).
He loves us. Forgives us. Encourages us. Teaches us. Humbles us. Blesses us. Holds us in the palm of His hand.
So let’s worship Him each and everyday with our words and thoughts and deeds. We should be so thankful and overcome with love and honor because we are children of a God who doesn’t broadcast our sin to the world, instead he casts it as far as the East is from the West!!(Psalm 103:12)
Let’s do as the Apostle Paul instructed us in his letter to the church in Ephesus:
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:31-32)
How wonderful that we are loved by a kind, tenderhearted, forgiving Saviour who casts our sins as far as the East is from the West, ya’ll.
So let’s forget not only our own shameful mistakes(past and present), but the shameful mistakes of our brothers and sisters, too. Why? Because Jesus does. And isn’t that reason enough?
