As I listen to the media and read blogs on the int...

2009-07-14T22:55:29.822-04:00

As I listen to the media and read blogs on the internet concerning Michael Jackson, I have become increasingly frustrated with the reaction of the majority of Christians. I have read a number of blogs casting judgment on his behavior and whether or not he was a believer. Most of these blogs express opinions from a very black or white, all or nothing thought process. A person’s beliefs and spirituality are never simply black or white, but are multi-dimensional state, with varying shades of gray. Many people like to polarize situations (all or nothing thinking) because it alleviates the anxiety of living in the tension of extremes. This is not done by the faint of heart.
None of us can truly know what was in Michael Jackson’s heart. That is between him and God, and not our responsibility. What is our responsibility is how we react to the situation at hand and to future situations. It is our responsibility to see people as inherently wounded and not inherently flawed. All of us have wounds that we try to heal or numb by unhealthy means; we self-medicate using food, work, excessive sleeping, drugs, alcohol, sex, and the list goes on and on.
In John 8:3-10, when the Pharisees approached Jesus with the woman caught in adultery, He didn’t just look at her behavior and cast judgment, He looked at her heart. He looked at the wounds that were motivating her behavior. If He was simply looking at the behavior, He could have easily said, “stone her”, but He didn’t. He spoke healing, forgiveness and acceptance to her. (Acceptance of the person does not equal approval of behavior.) We need to look past behavior that we don’t understand, or that frightens us, and look at the wound that is motivating the behavior. If we, as Christians, can speak healing to the wound instead of judgment on the behavior, the impact would be tremendous.
This is true for everyone, but even more so for someone struggling with an addiction and multiple psychological problems. I have seen numerous people shunned by the church because there is a lack of understanding or a fear of psychological problems and symptoms. The outcasts of society are being outcast by the church as well, continuing the cycle of wounds and inappropriate measures to try to heal those wounds. Let’s look at others in light of their hurts and fears and respond with compassion instead of criticism and condemnation.

Quote No Name: Amen! And thanks for dropping by. ...

2009-07-01T21:22:27.952-04:00

Quote No Name: Amen! And thanks for dropping by.

Anonymous: I know what you mean, but we have to remember the realm of time does not equal the realm of eternity.

And yes, without Jesus as our Savior we are lost. God's grace is truly amazing, isn't it? How sweet the sound that saved a scumbucket like me!

The Lord bless you.

Unfortunately, the king of pop probabably hasn'...

2009-07-01T19:25:19.318-04:00

Unfortunately, the king of pop probabably hasn't yet met the King of Kings - given MJ's most likely final destination.

praise the lord,without Jesus as our savior we are...

2009-07-01T18:51:05.981-04:00

praise the lord,without Jesus as our savior we are lost...

Insightful post. Let us do what we must and glofiy...

2009-07-01T13:27:03.001-04:00

Insightful post. Let us do what we must and glofiy God in the preaching of the Gospel of His Son.

Preach it brother Paul, preach it! Great post Sir...

2009-06-26T16:53:30.940-04:00