Mercy and Grace, Judgement and Love

I had a conversation yesterday with one of my friends that took me back in time, back to another life. 

A life time ago....
A warm summers day, the sand is warm beneath her feet. The water coming and going, one wave after another is rushing, then retreating. The air is thick with humidity. The sea gulls are above in the sky, they are below running toward the water as it leaves. A young woman dressed... hardly dressed at all, she is alone by the water. Her only companion is her beloved dog who seems to protect her from her stupidity as guys are driving by, then turning around to take another look. She seems brazen as she buys the lie of her young illusionary power. She seems indifferent. She thinks she likes this. She has forgotten. She has buried her emotions, her dreams with the constant flow of beta blockers that she keeps flowing through her veins. She is dying, but she believes she is living.

Another story, someone else's life....
A young mom, she is one of the viewed leaders of the church. She teaches and she preaches, but on Saturday night the bar is calling. The house is loud. Children are fighting. The announcers on the TV are reaching highs and lows as they anticipate the next play. There he is, just sitting there, lost in some game while her world is reeling. The keys, the car, the bar, this is her chance to have a pretend moment. A get away into another life that she dreams about, maybe this time she can turn her dreams into reality. The escape that is constantly right at her fingertips, but that is always just far enough that keeps her straining.

Two different women. Two different situations. How do you see them? Are they the same? Are they different? How do you treat them? Do you treat them the same or do you treat them differently? The one similarity, they are both lost.

Some people say that you treat everyone the same. They say, you give this person this, and that person the same thing because you must keep it fair. I say that is a lie. That is an excuse some use so that they will not be held accountable for what they are doing. Others use this excuse because in order to deal with people as individuals, you must get to know them. You have to get personal and personal is the part that is easiest to avoid. And lets face it, no on wants to be that person calling anyone out. For those of us who really know ourselves, we know we all mess up, we have all sinned.

"It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, 'You must remove the evil person from among you,'” 1 Corinthians 5:12.

But then you say, "Jesus said, If you judge other people, then you too will be judged. See the log in your eye. You have enough of your own stuff. Do not judge... period."

That too is false. Take a good look at the scripture, Matthew 7:1-5. He is not saying, not to judge, but how. Yes, we must first take a good look at ourselves. I used two very different, but similar women. The first was not someone seen as a leader, but as someone lost. The second woman put herself in a position of leadership at a church, but was also lost.   "Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.  Indeed, we all make many mistakes." James 3:1

The difference was their message. What they were themselves proclaiming to live. This is so touchy. This is the hard part about being in a family, learning to love. Sometimes love is all about grace and mercy. Sometimes if you treat another person the same way, you become an enabler and are the cause of their destruction.

Someone recently made a comment on one of my blogs, "The challenge for me now is to know how to love others as they are, but not to enable them to continue on as they want to be." This is the hard part of growing. As I have traveled through this life, from the beach, to the teacher. I have had to handle situations differently, but gently. I have not gotten them all right, but I must deal with them anyway. Learning and stumbling along the way, but my heart is trying. As young men and women come into my home I must handle them with mercy and gentleness, but the same? Now that would be a shame. Each person is beautifully unique. I would not be showing them their value if they were treated equally. What value is a diamond if it is looked upon as just another piece of cut glass? Would I be showing the seasoned Christ follower, the one who knows the scriptures by heart, any sort of love if I treated them and expected the same from them as I would the drug addicted person on the street? Is that love? What is love? You know the person individually. We are to see others as Christ sees us and He knows us personally.

The problem is that we get our love and mercy confused. We judge the world. I see Christians on my college campus pointing their fingers and shouting at my kids about sin. That is no sort of love and not a part of my God. And at the same time, I see other Christians saying do not judge as one of their leaders is leading in a most despicable way toward the grave. There is balance in love. Sometimes we take the most unclothed, cover them with mercy and grace, till they are warmed with love. And other times we must step up to the hard plate and call someone out. But both are act of His love. This is why we are to get to know our Lord. Daily reading His words so that we are not confused about our roles in His world.

"The people who influence us the most are not those who detain us with their continual talk, but those who live their lives like the stars in the sky and “the lilies of the field”— simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mold and shape us." Oswald Chambers

New Birth or Rebirth?

The house is still.  What do I hear? The tic of the clock.  A bird is beginning to wake.  The house stretches and quakes as the earth is warming.  The coffee maker just sighed.  A dove is calling.  My breath seems loud against the stillness.  What do I see?  My chair stuffed full of pillows around me.  An afghan blanket that was woven for me when my first son was born, covers my legs.  My coffee is snug between two of my pillows.  My always blooming plants are stretching toward the sun. The window that protects me from the cold outside is big right next to my sitting area.  The shadows are no longer shadows, but trees and houses coming into view as the light is peaking over the horizon.  A small rabbitt moves steadily along the curb, going toward his hiding place.  The day is approaching.  Am I in a play?  Is this my stage?  Is the dawn the opening of the curtain?  Who is behind the curtain, backstage?

In New Birth or Rebirth, by Ravi Zacharias, this is one of the main topics, along with many others.  Have you ever been in a play?  Opening night is a really big night.  Your heart is pounding, your mind is racing. "What if I forget?"  "Who is here?"  So you peak around one of the curtains trying to get a glimpse of the audience.  There are many things that should be asked as we enter the play; For the actors:  What is my message?  What are others going to do with their lives after they are impacted with my role?  For the director/writer: What am I really trying to say?  How has this changed the mind of my crew as they have learned my words?  For the audience: What are we seeking as we seek our entertainment?  How is this play going to affect me when I leave?  Is it going to become my reality?  So many more questions.... In this great conversation Krishna and Jesus talk about their similarities and their differences.  Just a glimpse...

Krishna: Because I believe all of life is a leela-a play, a drama.  The universe is simply a cosmic puppet theater for the gods.  We are simply actors on a stage.  Roles and duties are all divinely assigned and beyond human control.  Backstage there is always a different script.  And I know there's an audience.  There's always an audience at a play.
Jesus: We may disagree on the idea of a puppet show, Krishna- there is always a choice, a will, a decision.  Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
But the subject of a man listening, I would agree-when man seeks, he finds, and when he knocks, the door is opened to him.  So lets continue our discussion, for I too want to talk about he nature of who you and I are and what we teach.  That is why we are talking today, you and me, for the sake of the man whose ear is pinned to the curtain.  His soul is struggling.  He is desperate for the truth, Krishna..  Let's speak of these things for his sake, not for the sake of argument between you and me.
Krishna:  Agreed.  There is no need for you and me to argue.  You and I are complete in ourselves...

As the great conversion between Krishna and Jesus continues throughout the book, my mind and heart continually returns to the play.  No we are not puppets in a drama for the gods to be entertained.   But we are being watched and the world is our audience.  As I try and sift through the different things that I am continually hearing, things that are good and right, I cannot get lost in the closeness of them.  "Truth is powerful and truths that are almost truths are deadly and seductive.... Just because two things have one thing in common doesn't mean they have everything in common.  The heart of humanity and the provision of God are the two central points we must understand."

Are we willing to ask the hard questions?  Do we really want the answers?  Is this life reality, or are we just part of a cosmic play?  Are others watching you and learning from you on how they are going to live out their life?  What path are you directing them toward?

Jesus: Truth will always divide, Krishna.... A single minute difference in the ecology of the world and you will end up with death.  If you believe one lie, you are often led down the path of many lies... That's the difference between a drama and reality.  Reality cannot be wiped out by a whim.  Look at that truck.... and at its shadow on the sidewalk.  Now tell me this; would you rather be run over by the truck or by its shadow?... Is the shadow real or imaginary?... because the truck momentarily blocks out the sun, which creates the shadow.  You don't judge by the shadow; you judge by the light.
That's the story of the gospel.  When I died on the cross for you and for every person born onto this earth, the truck of the judgement and penalty of the law went over me so that only the shadow of death would pass over you.  You still have to face the pain of death, but I have paid the price.  It was I who was crucified, but my disciples are still troubled and heartbroken by the shadow of death.

And the story continues..... What is your understanding?  What part are you playing?  Who is your audience?.....