77 times 7

Listening to: The Perishers
“I choose to be my own.”
Currently Reading: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

I wrote an entire post filled with pretentious bullshit, published it and then deleted it.

I was watching Ugly Betty and girlfriend can sure be feisty!

She is so honest sometimes that it makes me a little jealous. I mean, to be self-assured enough to open your mouth and tell someone exactly when they’re stepping over your toes without worrying about how it would make them feel. I mean if you think about it logically, why should we be concerned about how they feel when we’re just telling them oi, get off my foot, I’m in pain!

Versus the silent, oh shit, should I tell them they’re standing on my toes? Maybe he’ll notice in time. Oh wait never mind, I don’t want to offend them, I’ll just bear the pain, oh fuck it hurts.

If life is for the living, shouldn’t we just live instead of always doing it enshrouded in a cloak of fear and uncertainty?

Christ said, love your neighbours unconditionally. Forgive them, He said. How many times must I forgive them, his disciples asked, seven times? And He said, Seventy times seven times.

In Israel, the number seven means totality. In essence this means, we must forgive, totally and without condition, no matter what it takes and how many times it is required of us. If forgiveness is sincerely sought, we should not keep that request ungranted, lest we ourselves do not receive pardon from God for our own sins.

So the term forgiveness I understand but does that include taking a back seat to everything? Keeping silent no matter the cost? What if our dignity was at stake? What about our faith? Jesus always stood up for injustice, He spoke both boldly and righteously against the many sins of humanity.

I admit, I find it easier to gossip about a person’s faults rather than face them head on but clearly I should be taking a page of out the Bible and either stand up and say something or choose not to say anything at all. It’s easy to be a coward and suffer in self-misery, it takes pure guts to tell the truth and face the consequences.

For Jesus, the consequence was, well the cross.
And even on that cross He didn’t hold back, Father forgive them for they know not what they do, He said.

Jesus never held back, He gave freely and completely of his love and forgiveness and courage. And we, how petty we can be with what matters, our love and compliments and truth. Such misers, when all is given to us in abundance. And indeed, we should give and give all the more.

Luke 6:38 (New International Version)

38 Give, and it will be given to you. In good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

I don’t quite know how to end after that.