Who's To Say?

Isaiah 54:10, "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.

Isn't it the truth? that somehow accusing always feels easier than being accused. We are so quick to judge.

I was in a meeting for work, where we were called on to name those students who are most deserving of recognition for certain outstanding characteristics. Something that is common for most teachers and schools to do, specifically at the end of the school year. And it seems right and fair to give "props" to those who have earned it.

But for some strange reason, I began to feel so uncomfortable about the whole thing. I guess it had to do with how much time it took to decide on some and how we didn't always agree on the "traits" we witnessed in the students. But isn't that always the case? What you may see in someone, could be something that I may never see. I might never see the good you see in "Ronnie" because my experience with him is completely different from yours. And so it becomes something that is based primarily on opinions---personal opinions... and the objectivity gets faded away.... and we are left with the role of a judge.

And that's how I felt...like a judge. And for some strange reason, I didn't feel right about it.

How can I be the judge... of what is deserving? If "so and so" is just as deserving as the other, or if they are both to a certain extent "undeserving".

It gets confusing, I know.

And why do we focus so much on giving merit to those "deserving" students, when we have those that mostly just "need" encouragement?

What are those "other" students deserving of?

Why can't we come up with an award for the students who struggle most?

I know it sounds kind of crazy.

And yet, isn't that the love of Christ? God's love is crazy!

I don't deserve His love, and yet every day I wake up to the knowledge and assurance of it.

I don't deserve His mercies, and every morning I face new ones.

I don't deserve His grace, and I am embraced by it every, every day.

I don't know if you've ever been the accused, but I know from personal experience that it is not a good feeling to be accused. And you might say, "well, did you deserve to be accused?"...That's how we justify...

Nevertheless.... have you ever been accused? Wrongly....rightly.....

It really doesn't matter because nobody likes being accused.

Yet ironically enough, the reality of it is that we "all" stand accused....and convicted of our fallen selves. We don't deserve merit for any good we have ever done or could ever do. And what we really deserve, well....

You see we don't really get what we deserve, when we are in Christ.

And still we get what we don't deserve.

So maybe you think that I've taken this way out of proportion... I mean it's just some "Good Job!" awards for some well deserving kids.

Well, maybe so, but who's to say?....

And what about the motives of the heart? Well, I could never be the judge of that.