Good Intentions Gone Wrong

            Have you ever done something with good intentions, but they backfired in some way? I did this past Sunday. I opened my sermon about Jesus’ words from Matthew 7:1-5 by retrieving a 6-foot piece of wood strapping from behind the communion table. Intending to act out the appearance of having a board in my eye as I criticized and judged people, the board knocked over a few things. Unfortunately two of those things were instruments that belonged to Mary, one of our young adults. Although it made the point (I think) about how harmful we are when we condemn others, I did not intend to do any real harm in just a sermon illustration. While I think the instruments survived without injury, I can tell you I felt pretty foolish, and pretty bad about it. Afterwards I thought, now if only any tendency in me to judge people would lead me to the same feelings of discomfort and disappointment. Our careless judgments of others truly are dangerous.

            So even our good intentions can miss the mark. When I was in high school a group of church friends and I were on a youth retreat. Kids attending developed a series of skits for our fun and laughs. We were all having a grand old time when – in one of the skits – one of the guys took a small fish coated in oil and threw it at me… as a joke. It would have been funny, but the reaction that came from everyone was dead silence. Instead of hitting me with it, the oily fish flew right into/onto my guitar. Though it was nowhere near as nice as the guitar I have now, it wasn’t funny, and everything just ground to a halt. People didn’t know what to do or say. Of course everything turned out to be just fine, and the weekend went on. But there’s another example of good intentions gone wrong.

            I think this is a fairly common experience. Often we express words or actions thinking that something good will result, when instead something else happens. Then we’re left trying to clear things up with expressions like, “I didn’t mean to say that” or “I didn’t mean for that to happen.” Hopefully people will respond to us with grace and forgiveness. Knowing how this all feels is a good thing to remember when someone else’s good intentions toward you go awry in some way. A gentle and soft response can do wonders and go a long way to bless someone who feels bad when they’ve blundered.

            May God bless you and me with such grace toward others. AMEN!

Proverbs 10:12 (NIV)  Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.

1 Peter 4:8 (NIV)  Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

Colossians 3:12-14 (NIV) ¹²  Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

PRAYER:  Father, thank you for your abundant grace to me in the middle of my failures – well-intentioned or not. Thank you for knowing my heart and forgiving me when I miss the mark of your perfect will and plan. Thank you for the reminder of Jesus’ birth this time of year, and all that He did in the Incarnation that has saved me and brought me into your family. And thank you for all of your blessings in 2014, and please continue to pour out your grace upon me in 2015. I love you. In Christ’s name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!  

Scott