Red on the Head

Okay...so I'll now publicly admit that I'm a fan of the show, "Jon and Kate Plus Eight." Up until recently, I've thoroughly enjoyed watching the show. I found their family life, even the ordinary, humdrum stuff, fascinating. It never ceased to amaze me how amplified even the smallest task was for the Gosselins, since they have eight kids.
For those of you who don't know, the show follows a Pennsylvania couple in their early 30s who had twins and then tried for another baby, only to find out they were having six.
In recent weeks, Jon and Kate have made headlines in the tabloids due to rumors of infidelity on both sides of the Gosselin coin. Both have emphatically denied it.
I watched last night as the couple announced, during the show, that they are separated. Jon didn't show much emotion, but then, that's part of his personality, from what I've been able to tell. Kate was obviously fighting tears. Since then, it's been confirmed they have filed for divorce.
I had hoped for better for Jon and Kate but, more importantly, for their kids.
Kate said she just wanted peace. Can't say that I blame her.
But what made me want to blog about this reality show? Sure, this one's had more press lately, but shows like this are a dime a dozen, right?
What made me want to blog was something a coworker said the other day. She said to me, "Did you notice how in the early shows, there was scripture written on Post-its all all around the house? You don't see that these days. They sure have changed."
I'll agree with her that there used to be Post-its of scripture all over the place. I haven't seen them lately. But does that mean either one of them have lost their faith? Who's to say? It's certainly not my place to judge them.
But that offhanded comment got me to thinking...and then I started googling. There are a number of "Christian" websites out there that are analyzing the Gosselins and their religious standing. Most of the ones I looked at were quite condemning. A couple even made the same observation my coworker did.
How interesting. The Christian army is the only one that shoots its wounded. I read that once and it certainly applies here. Stay with me.
It's been my experience that this statement is oh, so true. When a Christian falls from grace, it's not the judgement from a world full of "awful" sinners he has to worry about. It's his brothers and sisters in Christ. (Disclaimer: This doesn't apply to all Christians...I've just seen a lot of this type of behavior, okay?) I've seen it time and time again.
Example (this is a real one): A minister and his wife have marital problems. He decides to leave her and their kids, and they eventually separate and divorce, despite the Godly counsel of others who've spoken to the minister. I watched this unfold, and although I know the guy did wrong, as did a lot of other folks, I saw many turn their backs on him and write him off. A few years later, he came face to face with his sin and repented. Very few of his former friends would even speak to him, even when he tried to ask their forgiveness.
Ammunition, anyone?
I'm not saying that anyone should escape the consequences of sin. We all know we can't. And we cannot, as the church, overlook the sins of others, particularly our leaders. Accountability is something the church must uphold.
But why turn away from those who would repent and seek forgiveness? And what gives us the right to feel we should judge others? I believe Jesus challenged us to pick up a stone and be the first to throw it if we are without sin...and as I recall, no stones were thrown. None should be now.
Who cares if someone has Post-its bearing scripture sticking all over their kitchen cabinets or not...the fact of the matter is that this family is hurting, and instead of judging, we as believers ought to come along side and pray with them and for them.
I think back to the story of Moses and his buddies, Aaron and Hur, recorded in the Old Testament. As long as Moses' arms were held up, the Israelites were winning in battle. When Moses became tired, his arms began to fall, and the army began to lose ground. Aaron and Hur came along side Moses, and held his arms up for him. They enabled him to be a great leader, and that led to a victory for them all.
What would happen if God's people behaved more like Aaron and Hur? If we all stopped pointing fingers and judging one another, and instead held each other up as we battle, we would all win.
So forget the Post-its. When someone is hurting, even when they are in the midst of committing sin, remember that we are not that person's judge. We can, and we must, with God's help, see them through His eyes, and come along side.
Think what we, the church, could do if we could ever grasp this concept.