Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Do Good To All People

“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” -- Luke 6:27-28

Nobody was in agreement. There was a bit of polarization. Some heated words. Some of us shaking our heads. It’s just what happens when you put 12 people with diverse backgrounds and views in a room and tell them to make a decision.

One woman -- one of those take charge folks -- brought up the second commandment. She looked at me, no doubt taking in the silver cross I wear most everywhere. I fought back a chuckle. She wanted us to love everyone -- so long as everyone agreed with her.

I let it go. There was no point in a Bible lesson during a jury deliberation. But it was just so typical of how we view love. We want to love those we want to love. And we want to hate, or at least dislike, those we don’t want to like. And we want to pretend that Jesus never told us to love our enemies and to do good to those who hurt you.

I’m not saying it’s easy. It isn’t. Some days are all about forgiving, over and over again. And praying for those who harm you. Again and again and again. Because some hurts never seem to end and some people never seem to change. But it really isn’t about those who harm us. It’s about our relationship with God.

We were an odd assortment of folks. The unemployed man, with the foul mouth and worse attitude. The young girl, barely 20, who was so impressed with herself. I wanted to tell her she didn’t know a fraction of what she thought she did but I figured she’d learn that herself over time. We all do.

The quiet jury foreman seemed intelligent, well-spoken, reasoned. Two women barely said a word. Another bemoaned the state of our sue-happy society. Reasonable damages. Nothing excessive, just because some wanted to reward the underdog. Just the facts.

Another woman had an attitude about the defendant. She didn’t like him and didn’t mind showing it. He was arrogant, she told us all. Cocky, she said. I wondered what, or who, had hurt her so badly. Because her attitude had nothing to do with the case.

Isn’t that how it often is? We have an attitude with someone because of something someone else did to us. We dislike a company because one employee was incompetent. We leave a church because one person hurt our feelings. Or we look down on someone because of their address, the color of their skin, the car they drive or their financial status.

Love your enemies. Love those who are different. Embrace those who disagree with you. See good, even if you have to search for it. Because we all have good in us and we all have bad.

“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” -- Luke 6:31

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Extend Mercy And Grace

You should not look down on your brother in the day of his misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast so much in the day of their trouble. -- Obadiah v. 12

We live in a wonderful country that allows us to have trials by a jury of our peers. It’s a privilege we sometimes take for granted. And a privilege we frequently don’t want to be a part of.

I got called for jury duty recently. I was not a happy camper. Still, I was determined to go. What was the point in trying to get out of it? I’d just get called again. It’s better to get it over with. So I did.

And, yes, I was selected as a juror. Fortunately, the judge predicted it would only require a day. He was right. He seemed quite smart and competent. Personable even. Much nicer than those television judges I avoid like the plague.

That said, I hope I never, ever have to do it again. It was not a fun experience. I don’t revel in the fact that I was part of a wonderful event. It wasn’t pleasant listening to people lie -- and both sides tripped themselves up -- and even less fun having to make a decision with a group of very different folks.

That’s the point I suppose. But getting everyone to stick to the facts was difficult. Personalities were all over the place. And personal agendas can’t be totally hidden.

One woman seemed determined that the defendant “pay,” insisting that he had the money. We did explain that was irrelevant. I wondered how she thought she knew anything about the man’s finances. It wasn’t part of the testimony and I didn’t get the impression she was privy to his bank statements. But she’d already judged him guilty based on her own prejudices.

Others found themselves feeling sorry for the plaintiff based on their own experiences. Again, not relevant to this case. But none of us can leave our prejudices at the door. It’s impossible.

Why do we always want someone to pay? And why do we need to take our own experiences out on someone else? And why do we get such pleasure in seeing someone else take a fall? Do we secretly think it’s justice? Do we feel better about ourselves if someone else has something bad happen?

It is never wise to gloat over the misfortunes of others. Nor should we rejoice when others take a fall, even -- or maybe especially -- if we secretly think they deserved it. We deserve death for our sins. Each and every one of us. But God showed us mercy. Jesus gave us grace. Shouldn’t we also extend the same mercy and grace to others?