didn't this person KNOW that this end would befall them??!?
didn't they know that what they were doing was STUPID?!!??
...and it was in those moments that I realized the mercy i've been extended by God (as a believer) is the same mercy that must penetrate my heart as I think about people in these situations.
There but for the grace of God go I.
I pray that God's new mercies and his amazing grace would come to mind when i'm tempted to think things like "i would have never done something like that", because it is only the grace of God that kept me from going down such a path.
The documentary was also quite sad. You never realize how much suffering there is in the world until you're given an opportunity to walk in someone's shoes for a time. It really helped me to cry out "maranatha" afresh to the Lord. Not only is sin pervasive, it's consequences are too. As long as we glamorize sin, there will never be a shortage of sad footage for documentaries like these.
OUCH, my brother.
ReplyDeleteas many faults as i have, i find myself falling into the same trap: gracelessness. i find this a lot with my passion for what i'd consider "basic child rearing" for an example. i don't have ANY understanding for parents who don't expose their kids to life & help them develop their talents through the many (free even) resources in sports, the arts, careers, learning, camps, etc. i also don't understand single mothers who expose their kids to NO responsible males at all, as if being raised by one gender is enough. but guess what? the REASON i'm able to harp on "basic child rearing" is because the Most High extended TREMENDOUS grace to me in providing me with parents who actually parented me. my wicked heart might say "they only did what they were supposed to do" but Almighty God didn't even have to allow that.
interestingly enough, the same sinful heart that provokes one to make bad choices or engage in passive parenting is the SAME wicked heart that would so harshly condemn the former.
cleanse me, Sovereign Lord!