If God were human we’d be in big trouble, wouldn’t we?
I’ve read some of the truly horrible things being bandied about in regard to the Josh Duggar sex abuse scandal and I think, wow, it’s a good thing God has the capacity to forgive him because the human beings who are writing and reporting these things never will.
I feel for the Duggar family, especially the parents. My own parents used to say “we did the best we could.” Of course, being a know-it-all in my youth who thought they did just about everything incorrectly, that line was a cop-out. Until I had children of my own with whom I made many, many mistakes. Then “doing the best we could” took on a whole new meaning for me.
Consider, however, that Josh is the oldest child in that family. His parents had no experience being parents of a teenage boy. I’m sure they never expected he’d do anything like what he’s admitted to and I’m sure they were appalled when they found out. No one wants to believe they raised a sex offender. Did they handle it well? Perhaps not. But as a parent your very first instinct is to protect your child. Then of course, you want to discipline that child and set appropriate boundaries for him. Should the discipline and appropriate boundary for Josh have been prison at age 14 or 15?
An aside here: If Josh at say, age 17, was found to be having consensual sexual relations with say, a 15-year-old female, in some states he could also be convicted and branded a sex offender.
Did the Duggar parents handle this situation perfectly? Probably not. I’m sure at the time they felt their actions were appropriate. In retrospect, it doesn’t look like they were to most of America.
How would you feel and what would you have done if Josh were your child?
Oh, how we love a good scandal. We love to see the successful fall. We love to point out that they are just as human as the rest of us. How dare they act all holier-than-thou? And if we can make a buck off their pain and shame, well that’s just great. For us.
John 8:7
“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”
Matthew 7:1
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
Romans 2:1
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
As long as we are pointing our fingers at someone else, someone who got caught being human and giving into temptation, we don’t have to think too much about our own struggles with temptation or the times it got the better of us.
Maybe we aren’t fondling girls in their sleep, but we all sin. It’s unavoidable. But no one wants to look in the mirror. It’s much easier to look at someone else whose sins are a matter of public record. That way we can keep our darker sides hidden and convince ourselves we’re better than they are.
Sin may not take the same form for everyone, but temptation is always there. The devil knows your weaknesses. He preys on them. Because watching you fall gives him delight and power. He knows how much it hurts God to see one of his children unable to resist.
But God has the capacity to forgive the truly repentant. Humans rarely do.
#God #judgment #sin #forgiveness
