I’ll
be the first to admit that I was devastated when public light was shed on Josh
Duggar’s private sins involving the molestation of some of his sisters. I grieved for his family, his wife, and the Church. Sin always seems to be multiplied and magnified
when a known Christian’s lack of perfection is revealed.
However, I think it’s good for the world to
see that we too make mistakes, occasionally lack good judgment, and are
constantly in need of grace. It hurt my
heart to read of further criticism and scrutiny heaped upon the Duggar’s once
the entire country was slammed with the ‘Ashley Madison’ leak. It was estimated that over 400 pastors and
ministry staff members would resign as a result of being found on this forsaken
list.
I
get it, the Duggar’s have been splayed out on national television for years now
and regardless of what happens off camera, the family is viewed as a well-rounded,
Christian home. Yet for some reason “Christian” in our culture means that when
you make a mistake, make someone uncomfortable, or stand for what you know to
be right-you are immediately a target for criticism, judgment, and are
inherently wrong.
Over
the past decade or so I have watched our nation shift from being one nation under God to a nation that
desires anything but God. When studying
God’s characteristics in His Word, you will see that He is loving, but he is
also just. He is the Righteous Judge and the Redeemer. He is the God who sees us and knows us. Guys, God knows
us and loves us anyway.
There
is redemption for Josh Duggar and there is redemption for all of us who fall
short of His glory on a daily basis.
That’s right, we all mess up;
Josh Duggar’s mistakes just so happened to be aired on national television…and
I don’t know about you, but I’m thankful that my sins have been cast as far as
the east is from the west.
Aaron and Melissa Klein of Oregon caused quite
the uproar when they refused to bake a wedding cake for a lesbian couple. As a
result of the Klein’s stand, people spent the following days pondering if Jesus
would bake the cake. Well to be honest I
do not know the answer to that. We know
that Jesus spent a good chunk of his time with the lowest of the low-including
tax collectors, thieves, scandalous women, and liars. BUT he never approved of their forbidden
choices.
What does
this mean for Kim Davis? Should she be a
hero to the Christian world for taking a stand against what she knows is not
God-ordained? Should going against the
law of the land or going against her own convictions be of greater value? As the media blasts Davis and her refusal to
sign off on gay marriage, I do not envy her predicament. Davis could not justify condoning gay
marriage even if it meant jail time and the potential loss of her job.
What are we trying to prove here? From a Biblical worldview, we can solidly say
that homosexuality is wrong-that it is a sin.
Does that mean that Christians do not sin? No, no, and no. Pursing Christ is a process and none of us
have ‘arrived’. All Christians, even the
Duggar’s, the Klein’s, and Kim Davis are constantly in need of forgiveness
and grace. However, as believers we are
instructed to ‘hate what is evil and cling to what is good’ and that is what I
hope we do-no matter the cost.
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith; where there is
despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light; and where there
is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so
much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to
understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that
we receive,
it is in pardoning that
we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that
we are born to eternal life.
Instrument of Thy Peace
St. Francis of Assisi
