Maybe the Amish have the right idea.
To those of you who know me well, this post may seem a little strange because of it's religious subject matter, but I've been thinking about this for a few days now, and had to get it out there. I saw a news story about a shooting in an Amish community. One quote from the father of one of the victims really caught my attention and started a string of thoughts that I will try to explain here.
This father, after losing his child basically said "I am thankful that the lord has the responsibility of judging his soul" (regarding the young shooter) To me this shows an ABSOLUTE trust in the lord. This man has no judgement of the boy who shot and killed his child. He trusts that the Lord will judge this kid, and feels thankful for the relief this gives him. I don't see this as meaning that this father is not saddened over the loss of his child, but it gives him comfort and takes the burden of judgment and hatred from him in a time when he should be focused on his mourning and remembrance of his child.
This whole idea struck a chord with me. I think this principal should be carried out in all aspects of life. If you truly believe and trust in the Lord, shouldn't you believe that he will be the ultimate judge of others? I don't think that living your life righteously means taking on the role of God, by doing his job and judging others. I think that as believers, we are tasked with living our OWN lives in such a way that we will pass through the gates of heaven with minimal explanation of our actions. I can see the Lord asking many "devout" believers "Why didn't you trust me? Did you not feel like I, your Lord and savior, was capable of judging this person when they came before me? Did you feel like you could do a better job than I?"
It is not our job to judge. No matter how close you feel to the Lord, you are not his right hand. He did not task us with the responsibility of smiting perceived sinners. History shows us many examples of Man playing at being God and it not turning out well. If you put your trust in the Lord, and allow him to be the judge, you take a lot of hatred from your own heart. Without that hatred, you have more room to live your life gracefully. I have a hard time picturing someone as graceful when they are filled with hate for others.
This is easier said than done; I understand this. I cannot say that I would not judge a person that killed my child. Even the thought of that happening brings anger into my heart. I would hope that the Lord have the opportunity to judge the killers soul sooner rather than later...
I do think that I can stop myself from daily judgements of others by thinking of how strong and faithful this one father was, at a time when the average person would not have judged him in the least for being vengeful instead of graceful. Maybe the thought of this father and his trust in the lord will make one of you think twice for judging someone because of how they live, who they love, or what they believe.
So maybe the Amish have the right idea. Living a righteous life, is living a life free from the burden of judgement and trusting completely in the lord.
Thank you for bearing with me as I attempted to get this string of thoughts out of my brain and onto the computer.
This father, after losing his child basically said "I am thankful that the lord has the responsibility of judging his soul" (regarding the young shooter) To me this shows an ABSOLUTE trust in the lord. This man has no judgement of the boy who shot and killed his child. He trusts that the Lord will judge this kid, and feels thankful for the relief this gives him. I don't see this as meaning that this father is not saddened over the loss of his child, but it gives him comfort and takes the burden of judgment and hatred from him in a time when he should be focused on his mourning and remembrance of his child.
This whole idea struck a chord with me. I think this principal should be carried out in all aspects of life. If you truly believe and trust in the Lord, shouldn't you believe that he will be the ultimate judge of others? I don't think that living your life righteously means taking on the role of God, by doing his job and judging others. I think that as believers, we are tasked with living our OWN lives in such a way that we will pass through the gates of heaven with minimal explanation of our actions. I can see the Lord asking many "devout" believers "Why didn't you trust me? Did you not feel like I, your Lord and savior, was capable of judging this person when they came before me? Did you feel like you could do a better job than I?"
It is not our job to judge. No matter how close you feel to the Lord, you are not his right hand. He did not task us with the responsibility of smiting perceived sinners. History shows us many examples of Man playing at being God and it not turning out well. If you put your trust in the Lord, and allow him to be the judge, you take a lot of hatred from your own heart. Without that hatred, you have more room to live your life gracefully. I have a hard time picturing someone as graceful when they are filled with hate for others.
This is easier said than done; I understand this. I cannot say that I would not judge a person that killed my child. Even the thought of that happening brings anger into my heart. I would hope that the Lord have the opportunity to judge the killers soul sooner rather than later...
I do think that I can stop myself from daily judgements of others by thinking of how strong and faithful this one father was, at a time when the average person would not have judged him in the least for being vengeful instead of graceful. Maybe the thought of this father and his trust in the lord will make one of you think twice for judging someone because of how they live, who they love, or what they believe.
So maybe the Amish have the right idea. Living a righteous life, is living a life free from the burden of judgement and trusting completely in the lord.
Thank you for bearing with me as I attempted to get this string of thoughts out of my brain and onto the computer.
Comments
Post a Comment