Jesus paid it all, right? but what about when the ‘it’ is something really humiliating? something about which we know better and just can’t seem to change.
that question was posed loudly to the small crowd outside of a coffee bar the other night. no one answered but everyone was listening. so he asked again, only this time he used a different epithet. didn’t help. still no reply. frustrated, after two more tries he finally offered up the answer himself, “I’ll tell you who it is…me.” judge, jury, and defendant all in one. he then proceeded to dole out his own sentence, “will someone take me out behind the bar and kick my ___?” no takers.
so there he sat wanting to be punished for messing up and no one would oblige him. seems he was trying to get to California but was stuck in Central Florida. A church had given him the money to get a ticket back home but he was drinking the money up and couldn’t stop. he knew it was stupid, had a good reason to stop. but couldn’t. so he took to subjecting himself to some public humiliation. didn’t help.
this really happened the other night and, no, I wasn’t able to be of much help to the guy. but his passionate plea did make me wonder, who gets punished when I mess up? do I make others pay or do I try to make myself the heal, feigning humility while relishing the abuse?
Jesus paid it all, right? but what about when the ‘it’ is something really humiliating? something about which we know better and just can’t seem to change. do we punish those around us or ourselves for the offense? I have to admit that too often I do.
How about you? Who really pays for your sin, the humiliating variety? Think about it. Pray about it. Share about it here if you’re up to it. I promise to join you in prayer and share in kind. There can only be one “biggest &#@*@ in the world.” And guess what? it’s not you, or me, or the guy outside the coffee bar.
