WHEN SUPERMODELS AND CAFETERIA WORKERS FALL
Posted by Mike Foster: Follow Mike On Twitter
Last week The Tonight Show with Jay Leno played two video clips of people falling down.
One was a cafeteria worker who slipped and fell hard on the floor.
The next clip was of a beautiful supermodel who took a tumble on a fashion show catwalk.
Both were similar falls while at work. Both had lots of people looking on.
Can you guess which one of them got help from others? Yep, the supermodel!!!
Not 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 but FIIIIIIIVVVVVEEEE (5) people helped her back up!!!! No big surprise right?
And how many helped the cafeteria worker? ZIP! NADA! NOBODY! The people just watched and then went back to eating.
It was a funny comparison of how people respond to basically the same situation.
The problem is we do the very same thing when hand out grace. Too often our mercy is conditional and inconsistent. We are picky and choosy of who we help.
Dope smoker….Forgiven.
Crack whore….Judgment.
Porn watcher….Forgiven.
Porn maker…Judgment.
Straight sex….Forgiven.
Gay sex….Judgment.
People who have the same struggles as us…Forgiven.
People who have different struggles then us…Judgment.
You get my point.
Grace doesn’t discriminate and a second chance should seek equality. (Btw, for those thinking I’m just throwing out the reality of consequences to our actions, I’m not. Don’t miss my point here.)
My hope is all of us can be a little more consistent when handing out a second chance.
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great post, and great points. It's hard to relate to people when their sin is difference than yours, but that's no excuse for showing them a different kind of (or absense of) God's love.
Also, porn producers, people who are gay, and messed-up crack addicts wear their sin on their sleeve; people who watch porn, who are straight, and who recreationally smoke pot can keep their sin to themselves. Maybe there's a subconcious thing inside us that lashes out at people who don't keep their sin secret.
interesting point about the private and public nature of what people do and how we react with grace..
Thanks for posting this. As a Christian husband, father and pastor who has long struggled with same-sex attraction and porn addiction, I have often been hurt by the judgment heaped on people like me. How I wish that as a teenager I could have heard that it was OK to struggle with this and that healing and wholeness was an option for me too.
I have found a safe community of friends and family who love and support me no matter what, including people in my denominational leadership, people who know the whole story. Let me tell you, the grace that I have received is amazing. But I continue to long for the space to be real about who I am and what I've lived. It's just not possible right now. People would freak out.
And in response to mohan37, I think you may be right in a way, but there are a lot of “people who are gay” who are NOT wearing our sins on our sleeves. I have always marveled that men can get together in groups and admit to porn addiction, but I can't talk about my reality. My story is like an onion. I can tell the first level to a lot (God has freed me from some secret sins that were really holding me captive), the second level to some (I'm a recovering sex addict), the third level to a few (I once had an affair… years and years ago), and the fourth level to just my inner circle (My sexual acting out has been gay). It's like that is the ultimate stigma. Even worse than an affair.
Oh God, free us to be REAL with who we are, what we've done and how You can free and heal us! So many need to “get” that!
“Grace doesn’t discriminate” Huh? Jesus sure did – his grace and mercy freely available to those willing to turn away from sin and those who were lost. Remember the story of the two men who went to Temple – one had the attitude of arrogance, “Thank God I'm not like those other sinners” and the other had the attitude of humility, “have mercy on me, a sinner”. What did Jesus have to say about those two men?
On the other hand, his harshest words were for those who were in sin and refused to recognize it, let alone turn away from it. I can't imagine anyone arguing that Jesus was graceful with those whom he chased from the Temple with a whip in his hand!
When those in positions of power and authority hold themselves out as being paragons of virtue while at the same time nursing secret sin, it hurts everyone, especially the victims of that misplaced virtue, those who are condemned by those in power. But the message of the cross is that, when you ask for help, grace and forgiveness and help are instantly available!
Bible Belt Pastor, the bible says that “judgement begins in the house of God” – that's just a fact – but the judgement that the bible speaks of isn't harsh condemnation, it's judgement intended to spur you to turn away from your sin. Recognizing that some sin just isn't amenable to our own efforts (hah – which is?), God has made available the Holy Spirit to help us, to change us from the inside out, instead of trying to change from the outside in (which is what the world and many churches teach, to their shame), and God's Spirit is available to all who desire the help to change. I have seen people in the grips of all kinds of addictions and sin released, cleansed, and made whole by the power of the Holy Spirit, and God doesn't want you in that bondage! And while it's true that most Christians (incorrectly!) consider sexual sin to be something akin to, or even worse than, murder, that's just not true. “With men this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible” – and that is for you just as much as it is for anyone else in our family.
I stand shoulder to shoulder with you and pray, along with everyone else in our Family, that God's mercy and grace surround you as you come out of that dark place into the light of the Father's love and forgiveness, grace, and unlimited healing power…
This reminds me of something I heard recently (I can't even remember where) but basically that we judge others by their actions but we judge ourselves by our intentions. The more I thought about that the more I was convicted. It's so true. Maybe that's what Jesus was talking about when He said we should love others as we love ourselves. If we'd give ourselves mulitple chances, we should treat others likewise.
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jim_Gray: RT @POTSC WHEN SUPERMODELS AND CAFETERIA WORKERS FALL http://bt.io/EkLz (via @backtype)…
Thanks for the 2×4 of truth upside the head with a side order of “ouch”. We need these in order to get our ideas of God plan of reconciliation and redemption out of the way so we can be carriers of his (not ours). “True Friends Stab in the Front!”
I think one of the great ironies of life is that in judging others we are sinning just as much as they are in doing whatever it is they are doing. Judge no one. Love everyone. Let God decide the rest
i like that quote about “actions and intentions”…a very cool thought…thanks for sharing that cindy.
hopefully that 2×4 didnt hurt too much
right on ginger!
WOW!…very powerful BibleBelt and i really appreciate your transparency and honesty…i think so much of what you describe is not only the reason for the post but a core value of POTSC…the ability to be in a community where we are safe to share any part of our life and the realities of our struggle…no matter what it might be…again, thanks for sharing…its a very powerful testimony…peace…m.
thanks ed!
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Jeff Abel, Carol Asher, Mark Clement, adam herod, Krista Hamilton and others. Krista Hamilton said: RT @POTSC: WHEN SUPERMODELS AND CAFETERIA WORKERS FALL: Posted by Mike Foster: Follow Mike On Twitter Last week The Tonight … http://bit.ly/aeh6uU [...]
I love the fact that God is the God of the second chance!
And third, and fourth…
“Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” — Matthew 18
Actually, we are called to judge believers, but to correct them in love…
In my experience all of our stories are like an onion. Doesn't God say He began a good work and will be faithful to complete it? So many of us are messed up when it comes to that God process. When we realize it's his plan A (miracles appear to be plan B), we can relax and ask God how we can cooperate in helping ourselves and each other change. Grace to you Bible Belt Pastor. Love your authenticity!
Guilty as charged. Relying on God to help me see when I do. Praying to be an example of one who does not.
Wow I completely missed your reply when it was first posted. I totally agree with you – that for all the people who are “out,” I'm sure there are many who keep their secret to themselves. Satan loves secrets – they wreak havoc on us by breaking down the support structure we're supposed to have within the Body of Christ when we're dealing with sin.
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