We just want that guy who cut in line to get a flat tire that takes away every second he stole off what he should have had to wait, and then some. We want the lady who can eat anything she wants in whatever quantity to she wants and who does so in front of us or talks about it a little too much to break a heel and take a tumble. Not anything that would really hurt her, but just make it a little more fair. Why should she have everything?
We don't think she's bad. It's just not fair. And the guy who cut in line is just a jerk, and we all know there are far more jerks getting away with jerky things than this world needs. And why should that other guy have to do less time just because he has money? Somebody should really do something so that the next rich guy who gets arrested gets put under the prison. And is it because we love justice that we feel and act this way? Is it because we respect the speed limit that we hope for a law enforcement officer around the next curve for the car who blew past us while we are obeying the limit, even though we are running late? No. It's selfish envy.
We pray for mercy. We pray to get away with things that we know good and well we're not supposed to be doing. When we're running late and feel we have to speed, we pray there are no cops along our route as we blow by cars obeying the law and curse drivers who won't get out of our way. We want whatever break we can get in whatever area. If we suddenly were able to eat whatever we wanted without weight gain, we'd throw a parade and never think about the person sitting next to us on Prednisone who can't hear about food without gaining a pound. Yes, that one's on my mind a lot because I've been on Prednisone too long now, and many of my clothes don't fit anymore.
The thing is what we're upset about is having to do what's right. We don't really want to do what's right, but we feel we should, or we're afraid of the consequences or we are afraid God will stop liking and or blessing us if we don't. We want life to be in our favor. We want it to be how we want, and we want to have, and feel and get the things we want, when we want them. We want to be the ones who have it all, the ones others are envious of. And when it doesn't seem to lean in our favor we cry foul. We say it isn't fair. We wish ill on those who seem to have too much their way, who seem to be able to get away with the things we can't do, who have what we want to have and may not even deserve to have it as much as we do.
But we aren't to envy those who seem to have an unfair share of good fortune or who seem to get away with being selfish when we can't or who escape the punishment of the unjust. Nor are we to be cursing them. We are to bless them. And when I say bless them, I don't mean that southern trick of saying God bless him or bless her sweet little heart so that I have protected myself from the consequences of not loving by saying they should be blessed and now I am going to gossip about this so and so until I feel better about myself or get the attention I know I deserve. No. I mean love them and wish, desire, pray for them to get God's best instead of His judgment.
If we can let go of our fear that God does not have our best interest at heart, if we can forget about the things we didn't get that we wanted and really believe that relationship with God is enough, then we can let some of these things go. If we could come to the place where we are truly in love with Jesus to the point where we begin to love to do what's right because it is right, not to try to manipulate God into doing something or giving us something and not because we are afraid not to, then we no longer resent the person who is getting away with doing what is wrong. We no longer resent the person who is acting selfishly, because we don't desire to be selfish.
We can see that justice is a frightening thing. We can truly come to a place of God's love within us where we wouldn't wish justice on our worst enemy. We have received mercy. Forgiveness from God and our filth freely exchanged for the cleanliness of Christ. Rather than praying, hoping, wishing something bad would happen to this person who irritates us or that enemy who is making life miserable, we can truly pray and wish, hope, desire God's best for them, which means that we can pray that they too find the forgiveness of God and relationship with Him.
I know it goes against our natural understanding, but God wants to bless us all equally, but that doesn't mean He is going to make sure that we all have the same amount in the bank or get the same percentage of things we want or all get away with wrong to the same extent. It rains on the just and the unjust. He gives equality of blessing with the blessings that are eternal. Love, mercy, forgiveness, and grace are the things we really need, and we all get exactly the same amount of those as everyone else, as much as we need and will allow God to give us.
God loves the Democrats and Republicans and even the Anarchists the same. No group has cornered the market on receiving love from God. He loves the speeder and the person who drives the speed limit and even the one driving 10 MPH below the limit slowing traffic. He loves the people who would never think of cutting in line, those who let others cut and the ones who cut. He loves the rich and the poor and the shrinking few in the middle. He loves us all, and as part of His love, He has called us to seek Him and to seek to improve relationship with Him as being more important than seeking things. We are called to deny self and put our needs and desires and passions to death to make room for His. We are called to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8), which mean to do what's right because it is right but to love mercy because none of us can get it right and to be pliable for the hands of God to make us more like Jesus. And we aren't called to those things to look religious. We are called to those things, because those are the path to a better life, a life worth living, a life that is actually more satisfying than getting to have, do and be whatever we want. And we are to make that path attractive to others so that they can have a life worth living as well. Not by telling them what's wrong with their path, but by loving them. By coming to the place where we desire them to get God's love rather than get what's coming to them. Because let us never forget, because of grace, we ourselves are not going to get what's coming to us, thank You Jesus.
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