Proverbs 24:16

 Okay, in the words of my father (flesh and blood thus no caps), it’s time for me to be “intense.” I have been thinking a lot about righteousness lately. What? Doesn’t everybody question their righteousness when they breakup? No? Hmm.  

Anywho, I have been constantly reminding myself of Proverbs 24:16 “For though a righteous man, man falls seven times, he rises again” for months now and how Jesus chose the people that society would ALWAYS want to judge.  All social groups judge “sexual deviants,” the “thieves,” and the “betrayers” and therefore Jesus chose Mary Magdalene, Zaccheaus, and Judas.  I think he did this to humble Christians of all cultures for all generations.  We ALWAYS want to judge.  We want to think we are not that bad and we want to make someone else the reason we know it. I have made a lot of mistakes in my life.  I am so easy to judge.  I know because the good little CCK girl in me has been judging me every single day for about 15 years.  So I keep reminding myself of Proverbs 24:16.   

            Today, I looked it up and the second half caught my attention, “but the wicked are brought down by calamity.”  You know what I found interesting about this?  To EVERBODY, they look the same.  They both fall.  The wicked and the righteous are both flat on their faces (or asses).  You can’t tell which is which until later.  Crazy right?  We all like to believe in the whole “good tree bears good fruit and bad tree bears bad fruit” concept so we can judge when people fall.  But the truth of the matter is that we ALL (unless of course you are neither righteous not wicked and theologically speaking, I don’t think that is possible) end up flat on our faces (or asses) beggin’ for forgiveness and hoping that we are one of the ones that “rises.” 

            If you are wondering, yes, I am in fact flat on my ass (I usually fall in that direction due to gravity pulling me in that direction due to it being bigger and all) and getting up on a soap box.  I just don’t like judgment much.  I don’t like being judged and I don’t like people judging the ones I love.  Guess what.  I don’t think God does either.  He sure didn’t take kindly to people judging Mary, Zaccheaus or Judas (you can look it up).  So there it is.  I am walkin’ around barely breathing praying like crazy that I can be the one that rises again.