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When I awakened this morning I thought of what day it was, as well as of the stories prominent in the news. I thought of one man’s birthday, someone who believed all persons and people groups are created equal, that all can and should be treated with respect: a belief so strong he was willing to not just talk about it but also walk it out, staking his life on that belief. (What an inspiration!) Next, I thought of the tragedy of untimely death and disaster we see every day, some too staggeringly huge to comprehend and some continuing for so long that the mind-numbing heartache seemingly has no end. (How do we cope with it all and, even though an entire group of people has been devastated by a natural disaster, remain determined not to trivialize the pain families in other parts of the world experience when losing just one person?) Then I thought of the remarks recently made by a couple of people, both pundits. (If you’ve not heard the comments I’ll not fan the flames of outrage by repeating them. Rather, I’ll apologize for the hurt they caused, tell you how hearing their comments impacted my life, and hope to persuade you that just because people who should know better say cruel things doesn’t negate the fact that God is love.)
It was 5:25 a.m., and I was making the sandwiches for my husband’s lunch. As I separated the slices of bread, shook up the mustard to blend it, and extracted the sliced cheese from one delicatessen wrapping and turkey from another, I thought of the pundits’ comments, became more and more incensed, and expressed my concerns to the Lord. “Didn’t they THINK before they spoke? How can those who’ve not yet met You want to join the family if Your children are such jerks? Surely, they’re not all jerks, are they?” “Yes, they are,” He said. “Not me!” I responded. “I’m not a jerk!” as, right beside me, my husband instructed me on something I thought I already knew and I snapped at him. Oh. Yeah, I WAS a jerk right then, not to mention I was critical and judgmental of others. Ouch.
Immediately I apologized to Matt and, later at the breakfast table, I filled him in on what happened and we both laughed. I also said it would be part of the story I told you and looked forward to the Scriptures that would help me better remember this lesson. Here’s what I learned:
Early in a person’s walk with the Lord, sometimes even before they say “yes” to Jesus’ offer of life, it is pointed out that he/she is a sinner and desperately in need of the help Jesus has given by dying and rising from the dead. The Scripture quoted is from Paul’s letter to the believers in Rome. It reads,
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23, New King James)
Here’s the thing, though: until this morning I thought it read,
All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
See the difference? I thought it was completely past tense, but it’s not. Check it out in the Amplified Bible,
All have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives.
What does that have to do with my morning experiences? Everything, because it confirms what the Lord told me. Not only were we sinners when He saved us from going to hell, we (unfortunately) still fall short because even though we’re being made new we’re still works in progress. Phrased differently, we’re all jerks. We don’t mean to be, but we are. And, even though we are, we continue to apply ourselves, wanting to be better people, wanting to show others that really truly we are better since surrendering our lives to the Lord whom we love so much. And we tell them, hopefully with deeds as much as words, that following in the footsteps of Jesus makes our lives and the lives of those around us better, sweeter, happier.
Speaking of the love Jesus showed and continues to show, a love we so desperately long to emulate, the apostle Paul listed the many attributes of that love when he wrote to the Grecian believers in Corinth:
Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have. Love doesn’t strut, doesn’t have a swelled head, doesn’t force itself on others, isn’t always ‘me first,’ doesn’t fly off the handle, doesn’t keep score of the sins of others, doesn’t revel when others grovel, takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, puts up with anything, trusts God always, always looks for the best, never looks back, but keeps going to the end. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7, The Message).
Apologizing for being a jerk, I commend you to the One who is molding each of us into the image of His dear Son, someone who is definitely NOT a jerk.
Amazing. Thank you for sharing this with us!
God Bless.