Restoring the Wounded

It has been said that Christian's are infamous for shooting their wounded. While that may be true in the general sense, it is probably more accurate to admit that our preferred weapon would be stones. To be sure, shooting would be more humane, and restoring them to health would be more beneficial to the battle in the long run. But it's hard to beat the feel of a solid, well balanced rock being flung with justification and vigor in the cool of the morning. I understand the truth of this for I have hurled a few in my youth, and I have been pummeled by many. In our defense, it is easier and quicker to heave the stone than to put the time and energy into restoring the wounded.

I only mention this because I overheard an interview with Joni and Marcus Lamb the other day. It would not have been something that I normally would have listened to, but it happened to be on while I was painting my living room, and I was interested in the discussion. I learned that Marcus Lamb is a pastor as well as the founder of a Christian television network called Daystar. Guess I should have known who he was, but I really don't watch a whole lot of Christian television. At any rate, I also learned that Marcus had confessed to his wife Joni, as well as to the people at Daystar and his church, that he had committed adultery. Since I have some understanding of the Christian psyche when it comes to this offense, I prepared myself to hear a story of abandonment and isolation as well as a few details of other well placed spiritual stones. I was wrong, and I was blessed.

I was impressed with the way Pastor Lamb took responsibility for his sin. I was impressed with the honesty and openness with which he and his wife discussed the situation. But I was truly inspired by the leaders of his church. They didn't ignore the fact that it had happened. They didn't minimize the impact or the disappointment. But they also didn't reach for the stones. They recognized that the warrior had been wounded, and they prayerfully took action to restore him. They asked him to step down from preaching for a year, not to punish him, but to give him time to heal. There were other actions I am sure, but none of them were designed to leave him without hope. All of them were designed to return the warrior to battle. It blessed me.

I do not know all of the details of this situation and do not speak as an expert. I can tell you the picture that has been painted in my mind. In this picture, I am not naïve enough to think that stones are not being thrown, for that would not be realistic. I do, indeed, picture stones being flung from every direction. I picture a wounded man surrounded by those closest to him. The stones are landing, but not on the warrior. They land on those who surround him as they work toward his restoration, and it blesses me.