Archive for June, 2008

Guilty Ones

{ June 29, 2008 @ 9:56 pm } · { Music/Links, Musings }
{ Tags: , , , , , , , } · { Comments (2) }

How can I condemn another person for their misdeeds?

Chances are, I’ve done the same things. If not, chances are I would.

And so would you.

Yeah, face it. You would too.

“But you don’t understand! They ____________ (fill in the blank: hurt me, lied to me, led me on, robbed me, whatever)! I never did that to them!“

Uh-huh. right. Maybe you haven’t done that to them, but can you honestly say you’ve never, for example, lied to someone else? Even if it wasn’t directed to that same person, you’re still guilty.

Now, what was it you were thinking to do to them, again?

Oh, yeah. That’d be the same thing you deserve. That’s right.

The Apostle Paul said it. Even today, bands like Hawk Nelson* and Relient K* are saying it. But, more importantly, Christ said it.

We’ve all sinned. Most of the time, against the same people who are now sinning against you. That doesn’t absolve you, and it doesn’t absolve them. But it does mean you’re in the same boat, and it’s sinking.

What this realisation has meant to me personally is an extra measure of grace. He/she lied to me? Probably no more than I deserve; I know I’ve lied, possibly even to that person. That doesn’t mean they’re held blameless; they’ve still lied to me. They’re accountable before God for their action. But I’ll forgive them, and quickly, too, for I know thatI’ve stood exactly where they are now: guilty.

I well know the feeling that comes of having done wrong by another: the sinking feeling, the horrible thought that you’ve hurt them, that you’ve broken your relationship to them, the fear that they may retaliate, perhaps hurting you worse than you’ve hurt them, starting an endless cycle of hurt and revenge.

And now consider: they likely feel that same way now. Some lyrics from the song “One Thousand Apologies”:

Oh, the pain in your eyes

My regrets have never known such sorrow

Oh, the shame that you hide

Resolutions are the same tomorrow

(see the full video here)

You’re no better than they are, and they’re no better than you are. You are equal in God’s sight.

And now, if for some reason this post offends you or angers you, feel free to cast stones…if you’re sinless.

*For those dying to know, I’m referring to the song “Just Like Me” by Hawk Nelson and “Forgiven” by Relient K :)

My “Business”

{ June 19, 2008 @ 1:32 pm } · { Musings }
{ Tags: , , , , , } · { Leave a Comment }

(Note: This post is also included on my other blog, http://soapboxsoliloquies.wordpress.com. However, I thought it also fit nicely here. Enjoy!)

So I’m talking with a friend, and she up and says it. The phrase that drives me crazy.

“I mean, if (he/she/they/it) is (fill in the blank), it’s none of my business…”

Can I go on record as saying that the phrase “It’s none of my business” drives me crazy?

Now, some things really “aren’t my business”. But when our little fill in the blank up there is something harmful or destructive, and the person talking is using “it’s none of my business” as a gossip cover, that ticks me off.

But what’s even worse is when it’s a cover for inaction.

It feels like a holdover from Cain: “Wasn’t my day to watch him, God, not real sure where Abel went, after all, it’s none of my business!”

It feels like a form of irresponsibility to overuse that phrase. Maybe we could make a better world if a few more things were our business.

Like the lady with unexplained bruises. Or the girl crying off in a corner. Or the boy with a perpetual scowl and clenched fists. Or that person with a perpetual look of fear who jumps evey time someone comes into the room. Or the one who can’t look you in the eyes. Or the one who has the “flu” all the time, who’s depressed and a loner.

Maybe they are our “business”. This careless attitude we have may only perpetuate pain for these people.

Maybe we should all start looking out for each other. Is it my “business” to say so?

Changing

{ June 14, 2008 @ 11:53 am } · { Musings }
{ Tags: , , , , , , } · { Leave a Comment }

Time is slipping away from me.

I’ll never be like this again.

It seems like just a few days ago I was little, three and a half feet tall, drawing with sidewalk chalk. Then I was bigger. So many things changed fast. But many stayed the same.

Soon I became a teenager. My body started growing fast, even before I was officially in my teens. But still some things were the same. My heart was pure and innocent; I’d never known a crush. My brain developed and I was able to process more complex problems. But I still knew very little about the things of the world.

Suddenly, I became an adult. overnight, it seems, I had new responsibilities. My heart reached out and learned of pain, but it also learned of joy. My body learned new skills even as my mind continued to expand-for better or worse.

Now here I am. I’m young, witty, average in body, with a heart loving and longing to be fully understood and known and loved back. And I’ll never be like this again.

I’ll keep changing. Someday I’ll likely be older, perhaps a bit out of shape, maybe a bit cranky, certainly wiser for the ride. But I’ll never have now back again. Ever.

I’ve got to use the now I have. If I don’t it’s lost. It’s time to move.

Dissatisfaction

{ June 14, 2008 @ 11:32 am } · { Musings }
{ Tags: , , , , , , , } · { Leave a Comment }

Stale. Old. Boring. Blah.

Satisfaction strikes again. Something else has become commonplace and dull, and it’s because we’ve decided not to go any further. But if we did, what could we find?

Suppose you saw a girl, and observed some things about her: she has long brown hair, stands about 5′5″, is about medium build, likes to read. If that’s all you know about her, your acquaintance will become boring-fast! But if you’re willing to go further and introduce yourself, you’ll learn more about her: her name, her thoughts and beliefs, more likes and dislikes. As you talk further and further, you’ll discover more and more. But if you’re satisfied with what you see at first, you’ll never know more. It takes a certain dissatisfaction coupled with trust to truly know another person. And after knowing, to love them still (and even more) takes God.

It’s the same way in life. If you decide to be satisfied with less: less joy, less peace, less love, less happiness, less faith, fulfillment, you will never have more. You’ve got to keep moving past the minimum to find the potential and its realisation.

Keep moving. The best is yet to come.