Just shocking!

Thursday, September 09, 2010
“Well, that’s a shocker!” Have you ever heard some unexpected revelation about someone you know or know of, and responded with that? For some reason when someone falls short of perfection and we hear of it, it knocks us off our feet, especially if we hold them in high regard. We tend to put certain people on a high pedestal, don’t we? In our lives, we seem to think there are some people that are, I don’t know, above failure. But should it really shock us when a sin sick humanity messes up?
Oh, to the contrary. I actually think it should be quite the opposite. When someone does something innately good we should probably be impressed. Truth be told, that’s a lot less common than failure and fallings. When someone helps someone in need, we should be pleasantly surprised. When someone goes and visits someone in the hospital, we should be caught a little off guard. When someone shares a kind word with you on a particularly bad day, it should make us stop and think. Before you start typing up an email of disdain for what I’m saying, just think about it.
When we get shocked by some failure and misstep of someone, what do we do? Although it’s wrong and we should be ashamed, more times than not most folks talk about it. After all, it’s a worthy conversation topic, or so we think. We hold that person up, above a sin nature, or so it seems. So when they fall down, it gets our attention. We don’t expect that. But when it’s all said and done, we are a fallen race. Humanity isn’t naturally good, as so many today want us to believe. We’re naturally bad – naturally sinners – naturally screw ups. So when someone does what comes natural to them, should it shock us?
But when someone does something different, something good, something righteous, well, that’s swimming upstream. That’s going against the flow. That’s doing something supernatural by supernatural, God-given power, and that means they have done something shocking. Why shouldn’t we talk about that? Why shouldn’t that be a worthy topic of conversation? Example: when a pastor falls, everyone, and I mean, everyone, talks about it, don’t they? But if that same pastor went every day of that week to visit someone in the hospital, or nursing home, or that was shut in their home, do we give that the same attention? Pretty sure we all know the answer.
They say good news doesn’t sale. Well, believers, let’s change that rule amongst ourselves beginning today. Let’s focus on the good news. Let’s talk about when people do something spectacular, and lay off of them when they fall. Pray for them, and try to help them back up, but don’t let it shock you. Jesus said in Luke 14:11 that those to “exalt themselves will be humbled,” and those who “humble themselves will be exalted.” Humility brings with it a deeper understanding of the fact that I am, in fact, not better than anyone on earth. That Christ lives in me, and that makes the difference, not my own goodness, because I am very much lacking in that department.
So today – find someone’s good stuff to talk about. You’ll be amazed how much better your day will end up when you focus on the positive in others.

That’s just a thought, and I welcome yours.
Until next time,
Blake

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