Skip to main content

Dishonest Scales


The Lord detests dishonest scales, but accurate weights find favor with him. (Proverbs 11:1)

                This morning, on a website that is not supposed to be political, someone shared a video in which a political candidate belittled a young woman who asked a question he didn’t want to answer. If you asked people why the posted or shared it, they’d tell you it was to “inform” people. The thing is, the Pharisees who posted the video clip didn’t simply share the video. They editorialized it by belittling the politician.
                I agree that the girl should not have been belittled, but I’m tired of hearing the new Eleventh Commandment, “Thou shalt not shame or belittle anyone or otherwise make them feel less than wonderful about themselves,” from people who then shame, belittle, and make others feel less than wonderful about themselves.  
                This may not be exactly the sort of scales that Solomon meant, but if the Lord detests dishonest scales, then He detests dishonest scales. Unfortunately, we all love dishonest scales. We’re “justified” in doing what others are not. We’re right, they’re wrong, so it’s fine to shame them. They deserve it.
                There’s a second odd dishonest scale that I find myself using. If you drop a glass of iced tea on the floor, as I did the other day, I think, “Oh, she dropped her ice tea.” If I spill a glass of iced tea, I’m a clumsy oaf. If you lose your temper about something, you lose your temper. If I lose my temper, I’m an ill-tempered lout, a horrible daughter, a monster…. Yeah, I hate one-way roads and dishonest scales, too.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The List

              Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,   through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;   perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)           Think about it. We have been justified. At least, we could be justified if we stopped insisting that our justification be based on our merits. We have peace with God, or could have peace if we stopped throwing temper tantrums. We have gained access into grace i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen!

  While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)            Do you like roller coasters? I don't. You spend forever climbing a hill. You get to the top and have half a second, then you race down to a low point. Sometimes the racing down involves tying your insides into knots. At the bottom, you either have to be dragged up another hill or you get off the ride. Peter's life was a roller coaster from the time he met Jesus. There would be miracles, and then Jesus would teach things that didn't always make sense, and then they'd go out and perform miracles, and return to be taught. Peter was praised for giving the right answer to "Who do you say that I am?" Jesus said that said answer came from God. Peter was at the top of the hill.            ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Prayer Lists

                 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (I Peter 2:2-3)   In connection with what I wrote yesterday about the possibility that I’m wrong, I’m feeling the need to go back to basics - craving spiritual milk because somehow, I missed something. It’s a little embarrassing, craving milk like a newborn, but the truth probably is that we are newborns many times in many ways in our lives. From God’s perspective, we may never be anything more than newborns, forever needing that milk. On the other hand, being a newborn can also be exciting because so much is new. My mind is playing pinball - ricocheting from one idea to the next and through six more before it happens to hit the third again. The main topic is prayer. I have at least seven organizing structures all somewhat influenced by the movie War Room , which I’v...
Post a Comment
Read more