Pride and Prejudice

"Let your conversation be always full of grace." {Col. 4:6} 

I read an article yesterday - several articles actually - that really got under my skin.
This may come as no surprise to some of you - I get my news from many different sources and sadly, a lot of what I see and read just makes me boil sometimes. Thankfully I have friends and family who will let me vent my frustration and get it out. 
Yes, I'm one of THOSE people - the kind that needs to talk it out as I work it out. 
My husband still loves me - even after 21 years of living with that, so I can't be all bad, right? 
The verse from Colossians today is one that I think about a lot!
But it also applies very well to what caused me to need to post today. 

So anyway, when I get ticked off because of what I read, it's not always because of the actual story, but it's the response to the story presented that gets my goat. 
(For you GenY'ers, my Grandma used that to mean it irritates me.)
Wanna know why? 
Well, if you've read this far, then I'd guess yes - so here it is: 

Why do grown people feel the need to live and act as if they were still in high school? 
I mean, really, why do we think we have the right to be mean if we don't agree with someone?

Maybe it's because we live in an age of attack or be attacked. 
Maybe it's because we live in an age where if someone doesn't share your opinion, then they are wrong. 
Maybe it's because we live in an age where hypocrisy is king. 
And maybe, just maybe, it's because we have a pride problem.

Ouch. 
That hits a little close to home doesn't it? 

You see, sometimes I think we - Christians, non-Christians, whatever; it applies to all, me as well - are presented with a set of circumstances that contain what we know in our core is truth. And because it's inconvenient and uncomfortable to examine our OWN life choices, we humans choose to mock and insult and attack what makes us uncomfortable. 

Here is the link to the article I read yesterday. It contains two other links that I read as well.
http://chicksontheright.com/categories/the-makeover-and-or-miscellaneous/item/23573-dumbest-protest-ever#pagejump
Take a minute and go read it. I'll wait here, I promise. 

Go on, read it.

Ok, so if you read it you know that this blogger is offended by a group of Christian parents' CHOICE to remove their kids from a California classroom that is teaching yoga. 
She's also offended by a Seattle Pastor who has spoken out on the practice of yoga.
I'm not here to discuss the merits/demerits of yoga. 
I'm not going to discuss the teaching of this Seattle Pastor. 
Whether I agree with those things or not is irrelevant to my message today. 

What smacked me in the face was the open disrespect, mockery and insults hurled at the Mom who was quoted in the article and at this Pastor in Seattle. 
And here is what really struck me - I quote "parents like (name removed) are freaking LUNATICS" 
and this - [Don't you want to]"at least ask them to stop making Christians look like total wackjobs?"

Those words were written by a professing Christ-follower according to her own bio.

"Let your conversation be always full of grace." {Col. 4:6}

It's easy to let ourselves get outraged these days. Easy to be offended. 
I wonder though - and this is just me talking it out - shouldn't we as Christians seek to understand the circumstances before we form an opinion? 
Listen, there are a whole lot of worms in this can and there is not time or room to examine them all today - but here is my thought process on this part of it:

1) We don't necessarily have the entire story from that newspaper article. As a former cop, I KNOW there is always more to the story than meets the eye.
2) Why is this particular parental choice any different than opting out of say, a sex-ed class? (lawsuit threats aside.) 
3) Why does the choice of these parents and the words of this Pastor make "Christians look like total wackjobs"? That's a pretty broad brush. 

There were a lot, and I mean a LOT of comments on that posting. And many of them displayed the same un-gracious verbage. But I think the blogger defines herself pretty well in her Facebook defense of her post: 
"Look. If you're mad because {we} use the abbreviations "OMG" and "WTF" please see yourself out now, and save us all the heartache. Our page is not and will never be a match for you. {We} believe there are bigger things in this world to worry about than yoga and cuss words. We are always going to call it like we see it, and sometimes, we see stuff that drives us to use salty language. God knows this about us. He made us this way. :) We also believe that God isn't going to get mad at us for stretching and saying "Ommm" every now and then. If you personally don't want to do yoga because you're afraid it goes against the bible, then don't do it. But for crying out loud, calling us out for being pagans or saying we are "rotten fruit" or whatever else? Yeah - YOU are who I blame for the fact that conservatives and Christians get a bad rap these days."

Wow.   
There's a lot I could say about that, but my words are an inadequate response. 
I know what is a more than adequate response though - the ultimate source of correct response - the Bible, God's word.

"The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." {Luke 6:45}

"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be." {James 3:9-10}

And as if God wasn't direct enough already with his instruction for us here is one more:    

“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? 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." {Matthew 7:1-5}

Bottom line is that we are ALL sinners. We ALL make poor choices. We ALL say things that are hurtful, mean and un-gracious. 
Which is why we ALL need the Savior - Jesus Christ. 

As bloggers, we have a wide audience - some wider than others, and we never know who is reading what we write. As Christian bloggers, we have a responsibility to Christ to shine His light in our dark world. 
Please pray for me dear friends that my words written here - or anywhere else for that matter - will always seek to build someone up and point them to the cross of Christ. Pray that He will choose to bless my ministry as He sees fit. 
I ask you to also join me in praying for the blogger(s) I've written about today. That God will bless them and use the gift of their audience to further His kingdom and be an encouragement to their readers. 

With a Courageous Heart, 
~~Robin