Communication can be hard. Words and phrases can have multiple meanings, influenced by intent, tone, and motivation. The other day I cracked myself up, I simply quipped, “I’m under grace and not afraid of the law.” That could sound somewhat liberal, a bit open-minded, playing loose and easy with faith, but in this context it was actually said in my very best gunslinger, Miss Kitty voice, and “the law” I was speaking of happened to be the actual cops.
Sometimes it’s good to just keep people guessing. Cheerfully toss in the idea that you’d be quite delighted to just start your prison ministry anytime the Lord calls you too it……
I jest a bit, but I’m quite serious about how here in the land of stoopid, it often seems as if people crave justice so bad, they’ve done lost their minds. We’re like, just spraying justice bullets across the broadside of a barn in a passive aggressive attempt to nail somebody for something. Cat trespassing. A dim license plate bulb. Possession of a plastic bag. Expired car tabs. And soon perhaps, carrying a concealed plastic straw without a permit.
What can I say, people just have a whole lot of first world problems.
Meanwhile, actual crime, like stuff getting stolen, tires being slashed, good luck with any of that. I learned long ago, there really is no justice, a bit of a jaded and cynical view, I’m sure. A lot of people don’t get that concept, but I sure do. That is born of experience, wisdom, and far too much complete powerlessness. Swallowing bitter. Year, after year after year….
Privilege is a real thing in the world, as is power. It’s all cloaked in politics, hyperbole, and people shrieking right now, but yeah, who you are does matter. And who you aren’t means you don’t matter.
In the people world, that is. In God’s world, you matter. You matter so much, He made a tremendous investment in you. And someday, the last shall go first.
In faith it can be really hard to balance concepts around grace, forgiveness, and……why does the rain just keep falling on the wicked in the form of gold coins? Success, fame, power, protection, cover ups? Like, hello! I am the very first one to speak of forgiveness, of grace, of setting one’s own self free of offense, bitterness, resentment, BUT, BUT… justice still matters, how we treat one another still matters, paying for the consequences of our actions, or doing what you can to make it right, still matters.
Sadly in the world today, God’s restorative justice far too often seems to just mean, you need to be more forgiving so we can carry on with business as usual…….
“Justice” is a fascinating word, it kind of defies definition. We equate “just” with “fairness,” but what is “just” and “fair” really just becomes a matter of subjective opinion. You have to have a standard in which to compare and weigh against. It you trace the origins of the word “justice” back even farther, you soon arrive at the Latin and Sanskrit words meaning “right welfare, as it was first intended.” In the bible, Jesus often says things like, “in the beginning it was not so.” These are references to design, to intent, to what did the world look like back in paradise? What enables us to even imagine what should be, if all was actually right with our world?
“As it was first intended,” I love that in the context of Paradise Lost. Why is something wrong? Because it falls short of a place and time we cannot even see, but we know of it, it is hard-wired right into us.
That concept has always fascinated me, the fact that there is something within our souls that just knows, that just wails, this is so not how it was in the beginning, this is just not right, this is not fair. Trust me, in the animal world there are no spiders lamenting the fate of the fly caught in their web and soon to be dinner. People are unique in this sense, we all recognize injustice when we see it. Some of us don’t care, but still the wail of our soul is often about trying to make things “right.”
I’ve lived a lifetime of justice delayed, justice does not apply here, justice is completely futile, so sometimes I forget that in another world, in another place and time, justice really does matter. Justice is a huge part of our faith, and while God is full of grace and mercy, kind, steadfast, infinitely patient, and has certainly blessed me, the bible is also full of many examples of God’s justice being a real thing, one people should take quite seriously and not ignore.
Sam Powell did a well worded piece on the sons of Eli, called “When you honor your ministry more than you honor God…” He is speaking mostly of corruption within the church, of abuse scandals, of the unheard cries of victims across well, literally centuries.
I really love me some 1 Corinthians 11:1, “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” And also David’s words, “Search my heart, Oh Lord.” Those of us genuinely in faith, are often looking inward, turning to the Lord, taking those words to heart. It’s an active, ongoing process, and there is great wisdom to be found there.
Sometimes I think if we all just did that, we’d be living back in paradise again.
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In the world of the “imperfect” it’s often quite easy to point out that imperfection. What’s truly more difficult is to strive for that elusive perfection, knowing full well we will never get there simply because of who we are; we will never be perfect creatures simply because of our infinite variety the the Creator assigned to us. So while we might strive for perfection all we can do is is take our existence in pieces and chip away at those parts of us that can get close to some level of perfection. We push where we can, we adapt to our surroundings. But the pursuit of perfection is really no different from our incessant nature to question the world around us and find ways to explore that which we don’t know, yet knowing the knowledge acquired from such exploration has the potential to serve a higher authority than ourselves… or in the least, serve the whole of humanity well beyond our individualism.
It seems apparent that you are leading toward our legal justice system as is currently practiced under the Constitution. I cannot and will not ever speak toward your personal experience inside the justice system, simply because I will never walk the mile in your shoes. Humans created our justice system… and even though the Founding Fathers that put it all together are considered by many to be near or at political sainthood and their names uttered with eternal reverence, unfortunately they were only human. They devised a human system for other humans to work administer and within. Perhaps it’s not the system that’s at fault but rather the idea that humans are running that system. Imagine that.. humans self-policing themselves.
Absolutely no question if our justice system urinated on me in some form I would think it the worst concept man ever invented. But it IS what we have, and it’s part of what makes us Americans. Collectively we can change it all any way we wish. Most times “our” system works (the last 24 hours for example) but it’s included in the democracy we all bought into in preferring to live here than anywhere else.
I am reminded of words from Churchill… likely most here have hear a variation before.. but during WW1 in a speech he quoted an early unknown author, but in his own words…
“Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…”
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“Man sees the action, but God sees the intention.”—Ben Franklin
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Amen. So real, so true. So right. God bless you.
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“Because it falls short of a place and time we cannot even see, but we know of it, it is hard-wired right into us” that about sums it up for me-Deep down I know
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