Sustaining Our Identity
- Mike Duffy
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
It’s been said that one of the most important traits in business, and perhaps life overall, is good judgement. The late business speaker and futurist Watts Wacker liked to say that “Good judgement only comes from experience, and experience comes from poor judgement”. (Incidentally, I have lot’s of experience!) Kenny Rogers perhaps summed it up more succinctly when he sang: “you’ve got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em”. However, in Matthew 7, Jesus says “stop judging that you may not be judged”. Was he really disagreeing with Messrs Wacker and Rogers? The short answer is no. Jesus concern was that we might make judgements about our sister's and brother's relationship with God, not that we suspend judgement in all areas.
It’s safe to say that we have never had so many voices trying to influence our judgement and choices as we do today. A sample would include 24 hour news, opinion writers, the digital world of Tik-Tok videos, bloggers and podcasts, and so on. Some of which seem bent on exacerbating an already polarized society. In the midst of all this swirl of often conflicting messages, it can be hard to sort out the truth.
Additionally, and of even more concern, are those groups that appeal to our darker side. Those that promote a moral relativism: that there is no absolute right or wrong, it’s whatever works for you. Or unfortunately with increasing frequency, others who try and turn us against any who might appear different from ourselves such as the poor, those who’ve made alternate lifestyle choices, the immigrant or the prisoner. That facts, things we see with our own eyes and hear from reputable sources, can’t be trusted. And that if you’re not aligned with the belief system being promoted, that you don’t belong and could become a problem yourself.
In the Gospel of John 8, we see how Jesus chose to deal with a similar challenge. It’s the story of the woman caught in adultery. In brief, Jesus is teaching in the temple and a mob of Pharisees and Scribes bring this woman caught in the act of adultery. (Note, the man involved is nowhere to be seen.) One can only imagine the scene with the mob screaming for her to be stoned, and the woman’s humiliation and fear. The crisis comes to an end however when Jesus offers the challenge: “let the one among you without sin cast the first stone”. While I don’t think the Church considers what happened next a miracle, it always struck me as one. The Gospel says they (the mob) went away one by one, starting with the eldest. Jesus in effect made them see who they really are as individuals; He restored their identity.
While there are many times in our lives that we need to act in concert with others to accomplish tasks or goals, and even to make compromises, we should never lose sight that we are all unique and precious before God. And that we can’t at any time set aside our obligation to search for what’s right, regardless of what others might say or do. We always need to be asking the question: is the ideology or group I’m following acting out of love or something else……
And so how might we consider responding to these challenges?
It’s been said that we can’t think our way into right living, we need to live our way into right thinking. Or put another way, we need to ensure we align our lives in ways that sustain us as God’s children. One of the things that can help us in this is being part of a faith community (even if your participation is inconsistent) and also perhaps engaging in some form of community service. While we may not develop Jesus ability to transform a crowd, these actions can help sustain our identity in Christ and be a living example for others.
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