December 15, 2021

“You didn’t handle that right.”

Has anyone ever told you that? It may be true. I certainly do not handle everything right. At the same time, you may have handled it the best you could in that moment based on the information that you had, only to find out later on, that there was more to the story. The flip side of that is true as well. It is easy to accuse others of not handling a situation correctly when we do not know the entire story.

This is good to consider in the aftermath of the school shooting in Oxford. Lawsuits are being filed and in one high profile case, it appears that the attorney making public the accusation of not handling the situation right, was himself not handling the situation right. All of this just continues to add grief to grief.

What should we do when we think someone has not handled a situation correctly? Go public with our grievances and fire accusations? Assign ourselves the role of judge, jury, and executioner and render judgment? Hold the phone. We are people of the gospel. We are recipients of grace; therefore, our lives are to reflect that same grace. Think of it like this: The grease of the gospel is designed to reduce the normal friction of living with other sinners (that is people like you who don’t handle everything right).

When you think someone didn’t handle something correctly, remember that you are not perfect either. You are prone to misunderstanding and being misunderstood. Love believes (1 Corinthians 13), and it endures. So, what does that look like? Simply put, learn to ask helpful questions. For example, “I have a question about this. It doesn’t seem quite right to me, and I thought you might be able to give me some background on it.” Conversations like that are going to generate more light than heat, which is what we want.

The good news is this: Jesus always handles every situation correctly. In the moment it may not make sense to us, but we know that it will. He does everything well (Mark 7:37).

Grace and peace,

Bob

Sunday’s text: Matthew 2:13-15

P.S. This Sunday, we plan to conclude the service with the singing of the Hallelujah Chorus. Any former choir members who would like to join in are welcome to do so. Rehearsal will be Sunday AM at 8.