Les Miserables Sin Hierarchy

 "People who live in glass houses

shouldn't throw stones." 

~English Proverb

The other day I listened to Anne Hathaway's version of "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables that is just gut-wrenching.  She sings it while she's sobbing - true talent.  You should click it on while you're reading this blog - I'm not crying, you're crying. 

She was so mistreated and misunderstood and it devastated her - soul, spirit and life.  

People. Are. So. Mean.

I am appalled at the meanness on social media and in conversations- every few days it is another event that divides.  It's like people are just waiting to attack the next thing.  And the avenue of social media just lays out the red carpet for people to point fingers, lash back, and hide behind a thin veil of "no consequences". 

While we build our hierarchy of sin, upon which "they" are at the top of the heap, what if we imagined being in a room with them - one to one.  And then imagine that Jesus is in that room with you, as the mediator.  And then we asked Jesus to help us love.

He's the only one that is able to mediate since He is the only one who has committed no sin.  He can throw any stone He wants, but instead chooses that we look at each other as ones made in God's image, and see how we can demonstrate the love defined in 1 Corinthians 13- one that is patient, kind, doesn't envy, doesn't dishonor others, isn't self-seeking, isn't easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs.  It doesn't delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres.

Sometimes our own sin keeps us from loving like this, right?  If we really look in the mirror we are throwing stones from our glass houses.  Our sin separates us from God just like 'their' sin.

We profess to be Christ-followers.  That means we ask God to give us His ears to listen to others, eyes to see them as significant enough for Jesus to die on the cross for, hearts to love them by the power of the Holy Spirit (not our own), and feet to serve them with humility.  

That is hard.  Jesus knew that today we would have a hard time loving people.  That's why He said -

"With man this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible." Matt 19:26

The devil deceives, and he's good at it.  People are easily confused, and don't even know that they don't know.  

God can change our hearts as we ask Him to, and we can trust Him for the change that will occur - both ours and others.  

 

Here's an excerpt from a poem entitled "Judge Softly" by Mary T. Lathrop (1895)-

Let's start by baffling them the way Valjean, the escaped prisoner (back to Les Miserables), showed mercy to Javert, his pursuer, by sparing him death when he had every right to put him to death. He did it because he was shown mercy.  Kind of sounds familiar right? 

We are shown mercy, so let's show mercy.  We were loved first, so let's love.   

✙ Dear Heavenly Father, You have given us minds to know You, ears to listen to You, hearts to love You, eyes to see You work, feet to follow Your ways. This is Your battle and we want to be Your agents of unexpected, reckless love to a world that feels unloved.  Amen.