There are many things I could write about today. I’ve been racking my brain trying to decide. I’ve been so distracted this morning that I put my pants on backwards and I was this close to putting salt in my tea instead of my oatmeal.
You’ll be happy to know that I’ve decided; I’m going to write about what everyone else is– Will Smith.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know exactly what I’m referring to here: Smith and Rock and a certain physical altercation at the Oscars… Good times, right?
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen news of this popping up on my feed. Everything from memes to political commentaries to publicity stunts. It’s getting on my nerves, in all honesty.
So I’m going to add my opinion to the mix. Or, more accurately, I’m going to share what I believe is Jesus’ opinion:
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matt 7:1-5).
Friends, we may not condone Will Smith’s actions, but who are we to condemn him?
Remember this verse: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone” (John 8:7)?
We have no authority to judge others because we are not the Judge! We are all sinners, all falling short, all with blind spots and wood in our eyes.
Again, I may not support Will Smith’s actions, but I can see why he reacted the way he did.
I’ve felt angry and defensive when someone I love is being ridiculed; have you?
I’ve acted irrationally and emotionally and regretted it afterwards; haven’t you?
When I really think about it, I’ve done exactly what Will Smith has, just not in front of a camera.
(And yes, I’ve even hit people. I recall a particularly frustrating Mario Kart battle with my dad, where my preteen self swung the Wii remote and whacked him in the arm so hard that it left a bruise.)
We’ve all fallen short; let’s not pretend we are any better.
We are not called to condemn and ridicule, friends. But we are called to forgive each other, just like Jesus forgave– and continues to forgive– us (Eph 4:32).
Comments