All of Us are Mockers

Lately as I've been signing on to Facebook and scrolling through my newsfeed, I've found myself bombarded with all kinds of insensitivity. Whatever the subject, people are making bold claims without much regard for how their statuses might reflect their reputation or the reputation of someone else. No one seems to be thinking before they post. In fact, the opposite seems to be the case. People will post anything that comes to mind when a pulse of passion is running through their veins. I was starting to get annoyed reading posts that were mocking a plethora of subjects: young love, underage drinking, teen parenthood, promiscuous girls- just to name a few. I even made a comment on someone else's status expressing my own disapproval of such negativity. But then today, as I was sitting down to vent some of my frustration about this topic through this blog, I remembered that I have learned the lesson of loving instead of judging only recently. Obviously, I haven't mastered it yet, but I am trying to see the world through a different set of eyes. Let me take you back to just a few months ago when I first realized that there was a lesson that I needed to learn.

I was walking back toward campus from Union Station with a friend. In Chicago, not much should surprise me as I walk down the street, but I'd only lived here a little over a month at the time of this experience. So when I saw a group of guys in their early twenties with one young lady among them walking in front of us, I naturally made a few silent judgments. The guys looked, walked, and talked like the kind of guys you would expect to be real players and partyers. And the girl was wearing a slinky black top with a completely transparent back. To be painfully honest, the first thought that passed through my mind was, "She looks like a slut." And then, some equally painful words were whispered into my ear by my friend. "She must be so broken inside." I was so ashamed of what my first judgments of this girl were. That day I decided that from then on I would try to look past a person's exterior and into their heart.

It all comes down to one primary principle; everyone is broken. Every single person on this planet has known grief, and grief is not something to be mocked. So whenever you are tempted to post something vehement about ignorant middle school lovers, teen parents, dead beats, drunks, drug addicts, promiscuous girls, think about the brokenness and pain that you are mocking. Think about the 12 year old whose heart has been broken by a boy and who reads an insensitive post about 'girls like her'. Think about the guy that feels like he has ruined his life and sometimes thinks about suicide when he reads a post about 'dead beats like him'. Think about the promiscuous girl who is desperately longing for real love when she reads a post about 'whores like her'. I could go on, but I think the point is clear. Mocking someones pain is easy when you don't know who you are mocking, but (whether you know the person or not) mocking someones pain is always wrong.

And as your reading this, you can probably recall some time when your pain has been mocked or trivialized. Maybe it wasn't from a post on Facebook or Twitter. Maybe it was from a newspaper article, a news report, an overheard conversation, or even just a judgmental glance. It might be of some small comfort to know that I will not mock or trivialize your pain. I'm only just beginning to learn how to love people, but I would be blessed to learn how to better love you. On the other hand, it should be a great comfort for you to know that there is someone who can truly sympathize with your pain.

Jesus was rejected by people from his hometown- even by some of his family members. He was labeled and unjustly accused. He was spit on and beaten. He was mocked. And as you may have been the victim of judgment by those who don't really know your whole story, Jesus is the only innocent victim of judgment. Sinful people like you and me crucified the Son of God. Jesus never sinned, yet He was willing to die to take away ours. Because of His great love, my King died for those who rejected Him, labeled Him, falsely accused Him, spit on Him, beat Him, mocked Him, and crucified Him. And if you or I were there the day Jesus hung on the cross, we would have mocked Him too.

All of us are mockers.

Yet there is hope for those who put their faith in Jesus:

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need"(Hebrews 4:15-16).