Craziness

Have you ever wished your life wasn't crazy? Who knows? Maybe your life isn't crazy as mine. It seems like there is never a dull moment.

Take today for instance. A simple day. The boys didn't have school. Should have been cake, right? Well, it was...right up until the point where...it wasn't.

Michael, Ryan and Jaron spent the night at a friend's house last night, so in theory, I should have been able to get to work early and get lots accomplished. Of course, that didn't take into account the two back to back basketball practices, but we had a plan. Michael was able to get Ryan to practice without a hitch. I was planning to come home at lunch and make the transition of Jaron from Michael to Ryan and go right back to work to finish my day. What our plan did not include was the call that I received from Michael just after dropping Ryan and Jaron off at home.

It seems that he took an elbow to the mouth. In the process, he bit his tongue. Not just any bite. A nasty bite. I ended up in the emergency room for several hours waiting for Michael to get 3 stitches in his tongue. Numerous times it was pointed out that normally they don't do stitches in the tongue, but Michael needed stitches in his tongue. So, instead of a normal day at work, I spent a partial day at work, a partial day in the ER, and now, I am behind. Oh, and it doesn't stop there, I get to take more time off tomorrow to go to the orthodontist and find out if there is damage to his permanent retainer or teeth.

This may sound like I am not a caring mom, and that isn't the true. I love my kids, and I wouldn't have been anywhere else but that ER today. It is just another instance of the craziness that is my life. If it's weird, odd, out of control, or unexpected, it will most likely happen to some member of my family. Apparently, that is just the way we roll. :)

I am sure there is probably some deep Biblical insight that I could gain from further reflection, but to be honest, it's just not coming to me. What does come to me (with a little help from a search engine) is God's promises that He is always with me.

The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace. Psalm 29:11

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:26

The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. Psalm 118:14

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29

I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

Even amidst the craziness of my life, God is always stable. He is the rock that holds me together in the chaos of trips to the emergency room, and stitches, and other oddities of life. He is is the peace amidst the storm.

And I am thankful...not so much for the craziness...but for the promise that I will never face the craziness of my life alone.

Lunacy with a Capital L

I actually started to post these thoughts a couple days ago, but the thoughts in my head were spinning so fast that even I couldn't follow my ramblings. I decided that due to the nature and the details of the situation, it was probably best just to let it blow over and wait for the next wave of thoughts to come ashore. And then...I changed my mind.

I think that too often as Christians we let things "blow over" in the name of grace. "Well, we're Christians, and the Bible says we shouldn't judge." Really? Let's look at that for a minute.

One of the most detailed passages on the subject is found in Matthew 7:1-5.

“Judge not, that you be not judged.
For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged,
and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.
Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye,
but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
Or how can you say to your brother,
‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’
when there is the log in your own eye?
You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye,
and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.

Nowhere in this passage does it say to ignore the speck -to blow over it, and pretend it doesn't exist.

And if we are not allowed to judge in any form, how do you explain these verses:

Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” John 7:24

The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 1 Corinthians 2:15

Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. Proverbs 31:9

I am NOT a Scripture expert. I have not been to seminary, or Bible college. To the best of my knowledge, I am not called to be a prophet...or a judge of others. But, I do believe that I am called to measure everything against the standards that God has set forth in Scripture. To see right and wrong. To decide between good, better, best.

Have you ever looked up "judge" in the Thesaurus? Let me give you a sample of what you will find. Decide. Determine. Discern (hmmm. Biblical word?). Examine. Evaluate. I could be wrong, but it would seem to me that maybe a better word for the judgment that Christians should avoid would be "condemnation." Again, I could be wrong, but to me, verses such as the passage in Matthew 7 are not a license to allow things that are wrong to go unchecked.

Shouldn't we, as Christians, be the ones to stand up for what is right? When do you make the stand? How often do we, in the premise of confidentiality, cover up something that we know is blatantly wrong? Won't we be held accountable because we chose not to act?

That's where I find myself right now. And I have to tell you, it is a struggle for me. I am not struggling with the issue itself. The specifics of that, to me, should be pretty black and white. I am struggling with the actions and attitudes of those who are involved, in positions of authority, that go so very much against what we are called to live out as Christians. Cover ups for the sake of appearances. (White-washed tombs?) Decisions based more on concern for the institution than on concern for its people. (Hypocritical?)

I am the first to admit that I am not perfect. I fail - regularly - in my walk with Christ. It's called sin. I would like to think I do it less now than I did before, but in reality, sin is sin. If it's in my life, my rag is filthy. Every evil thought - or in my case sarcastic is probably the better analogy - pounds that nail a little deeper in to Jesus hands and feet. I am not proud of that.

I think I am just disappointed. I would hope that in the community of believers there would be a difference. There would be a higher standard. I would hope that people would be the priority. But I am reminded more and more that Christians are sinners who have found a Savior, and that our Savior isn't finished with us yet. I can only pray that the decisions that have been made will not come back to hurt innocent people. Am I condemning those involved? No. But, I am looking at their actions, their words and their motives and holding them up to the standards that I see set forth in Scripture - and they are falling short. Is that judgment? I guess so.

For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged,
and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.

Is it wrong to hope so? It's kind of scary, but I hope that those who care about me will not allow me to sin unchecked and brush it away in the name of grace. I hope they will hold me accountable to the standards set forth in Scripture.

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. (Galatians 6:1)

I will fail, and I will fail repeatedly, but I never want to pretend it is okay or try to hide my indiscretions in the name of grace. To me, that is the definitions of lunacy with the a capital L.