"I spent the last five days of my life crying in Argentina," he said.
That sentence was a part of the public confession from the lips of South Carolina governor Mark Sanford, or what puer aeternus George Stephanopoulos called "his performance." I'm guessing you saw it, heard it, read about it, or at least you have now.
"What cannot be said will get wept." - Jim Harrison
We all react differently to revelations such as this. But I believe with all I am that our response, as least the one by the church on earth, the body of Christ, the visible representation of Jesus Jesus-self, is to be tears. As the good book says, "Weep with those who weep."
Yes, John, but isn't he getting what he deserves? Ah, justice - the current golden calf for many in the Lord's army, yes sir. We've castrated Micah 6.8. We must be careful little hands what we cut for there is something in that verse which we christians or christ-followers or little christs or whatever we want to call ourselves are called to love...and that something is mercy. Only by loving mercy can justice worth a God's blood be done to the uttermost.
Yes, John, but what if his tears were those of a crocodile? I'm not a tearologist nor do I play one on tv, so I really cannot say. I will roll the dice and say they were the tears of a clown; a man, flesh and blood like thee and me, whose public persona covered a private circus of broken vows. If we cannot weep for the clown, and maybe we can't, then let us weep for his wife and children, his staff, the people who elected him, his parents, the lady in Argentina...hell, let us weep even for ourselves for we too often paint on a smile and juggle our lives. And sooner or later, we'll all drop the ball.
Merci.
amidst the circus of the current fascination with other's demise, by far the best response I've read yet.
ReplyDeletei believe the tears are real. because i've cried them for more than four years.
ReplyDeletethey are tears of guilt and shame and ache beyond ache for pain caused and losses felt.
but in time, they can also be tears of thankfulness...
for grace. such as yours, john.
merci, indeed.
I weep for the lack of depth in life, the substance in vulnerability, the realness of accountability and the abandonment of all cares when one is embraced and accepted flaws and all.
ReplyDeleteMasks are high maintenance, relationally limiting and all consuming ..... shallow and hollow.
What they miss out on is overwhelmingly far more than what they can gain through honesty.
Yep, terribly sad. Terribly.
ReplyDeleteAnd perhaps saddest of all is that we're so used to the logs in our own eyes that we point at others as if they're worse than we.
It is as if you were in my head these past couple of weeks. The circus has long since lost it's luster in the church...and yet the wolves circle. Certain that they will never be the one standing surrounded by accusation and the gnashing of teeth...
ReplyDeleteI often wonder what it was that Jesus wrote in the dirt when the "woman caught in adultery" was brought to him...some have speculated that it was the sins of those who were standing in accusation. Do you have any thoughts?