Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Dear God,

Today I heard the words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, "Judgement is the forbidden objectivization of the other person which destroys single-minded love.  I am not forbidden to have my own thoughts about the other person, to realize his shortcomings, but only to the extent that it offers to me an occasion for forgiveness and unconditional love."  I was laid low by his words, a devout Christian man who was hung by the Naziis the last day of the war.

It is so easy to judge, to put others down and to render them useless, worthless.  Such a practice is deadly because it circles round and catches up to us.  Eventually, sometimes instantly we are judged too because we know better, we know faith, we know unconditional love, we know the call to compassion and mercy.  We find ourselves in the muddy middle of sin.  Today I find myself guilty.

Gracious God,
why do
you bother
with us
at all?
You know
we are sinners.
You know
we are guilty;
yet, you allow
your grace
to have
the final word.
I am sorry.

Love, Andrea