Rant Mode: Injustice

Just because I don’t talk much about my battles and wounds, it doesn’t mean I have no scars.

It’s the height of arrogance to assume that someone who hasn’t lived with your limitations is unable to sense your sorrows. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated me first” (John 15:18). Let’s talk about the injustice He faced — we weren’t there with Him, except to help nail Him to the Cross. Our particular sorrows don’t justify crucifying anyone else. He rose and still lives today at the right hand of the Father, and His appreciation for doing good to those who hate you is all the reward we need. Walking justly is its own reward.

If you get close enough to me, I will surely do something stupid and hurt you. Don’t fall into a pity party and assume I delight in causing you pain. Don’t assume that I am somehow refusing some duty to improve simply because my sins are different from yours. “Remove the log in your own eye first” (Matthew 7:1-6). The point here is not that you might actually remove that log, but that you must acknowledge it’s there before anything can change. You have to embrace the enormity of your own sin. Yes, you nailed Jesus to the Cross, and so did I. Let’s stop hammering each other and try to find a path to repentance.

Some of you may recall I’ve used the term “quantum moral reasoning” as a means to drawing attention to the multiple levels of consideration we must maintain at all times. The biggest problem is first recognizing that there are multiple levels. How often have you heard or read arguments that confuse the levels? No, we don’t have a discrete list of those levels; that’s just cultic nonsense that leads to pushing religion back into the cerebral reasoning.

The urge to correct injustice is certainly holy. The urge to defend your God-given domain is also holy, but not if you confuse the boundaries of your domain. Check this out: the word “responsibility” arises from the concept of duty to respond. The “us versus them” is not inherently wrong, but you will rarely encounter someone who understands why God wired that into us. Have you not noticed how the Law of Moses does differentiate between serious threats to human existence versus those that simply require a little nudge to improve? That there are plenty of unpleasant things we are obliged to bear simply because they aren’t for us to fix? And let’s not forget that plenty of capital sin under Moses could be forgiven by the victim and the perpetrator go free. You do have a faculty for knowing when God intends you to forgive.

People are the most important concern in this world of existence. This world can’t be saved. It’s slated for destruction — that terminology is mere characterization, but it points us to the truth. The point is that you will see justice in this life, but only if you see it in the mirror. Nobody owes you anything, least of all God. You are precious only because of some whim of choice arising from His incomprehensible compassion. Even when you have to pull the trigger, it can’t be hatred that paints the target. You have to invest a lot of your human time into deep consideration of such things before they come. Who are you? What did God call you to do and how does He want it done? Your heart knows, so move your awareness into your heart and start bouncing things off your convictions. Don’t run with any tribe until you know for certain that’s where God called you, and then act as an individual voice of compassion. Let no man tell you how God works in your soul.

Justice is not a science and it’s even higher than art. Divine justice is in a class of endeavor all its own. Only an active heart consciousness works on that level. Learn to let a little rain run off your back because God calls you to invest your energy in more important things. By the same token, never assume that physical violence is forbidden in all cases for everyone. Don’t set limits on how God speaks to others. Step away and stop condemning things that aren’t a part of your calling. Respond when your heart knows it falls into your domain, not when it simply pisses you off.

Don’t turn one injustice into yet another simply because you can’t be bothered to swallow some more sorrow.