Did We Say Grace?

I wasn’t going to weigh in on this subject – The Duggar’s and their oldest son’s "fall from grace". But the subject just won’t go away. It’s all over Facebook, it’s in the mainstream news, the blogs are endless…it is simply everywhere.

I have never watched the Duggar’s show. I have never got caught up in what they do. I purposefully never “liked” them on Facebook. I did not want to show support for, or against them, one way or the other. In my opinion, they were an “accident waiting to happen”. I mean, come on! There is no way that you can claim you are Christian, have 19 kids while televising it all on reality TV; and then expect that people will just leave you alone.

For starters, I don’t like reality TV. Truthfully, I wish someone would tell me how reality TV is different than voyeurism. I have said that since the first reality show ever came out, to the chagrin of some! That sounds harsh I guess, and that is a big enough can of worms for another post. The simple truth is, in that scenario - 19 kids on television - something was bound to go awry. And that is exactly why I wanted to stay away from what the Duggar’s do.

Some have said the Duggar’s set themselves up for scrutiny when they accepted the role for reality TV. I agree with that. I feel like asking the parents, “Just WHAT did you expect?”

Yes, I have an opinion about what happened. And yes, I have an opinion about the way the Duggar’s are being treated. So like everyone else that has commented, let me start with: YES, IT WAS WRONG!  That’s the no-brainer. Now let me get to the icky-sticky, controversial stuff that prompted me to finally write.

One, it really, really irks me that this has turned political and people are using it for their own gain, or agenda. Governor Mike Huckabee was the first one I observed to come out with a statement in regard to the Duggar's. No big deal for me that he did. He is their friend. That’s what friends do.

But then there are those like Michael Reagan that have been relentless in their coverage of the Duggar’s sins. Mr. Reagan has been posting something derogatory about the Duggar’s almost every hour on Facebook!  For days!!! It started with a merciless attack on Mike Huckabee, because of the former governor’s support of the Duggar’s. I would have to assume Mr. Reagan doesn’t like Mr. Huckabee. But it got “over the top” quickly with Mr. Reagan. It seemed more like he had a vicious vendetta against Mike Huckabee! Finally it got so bad, I was starting to wonder about Mr. Reagan’s mental health. Turns out Michael Reagan was raped as a child by a molester who also took photos of him. Yeah…bitterness remains.

Two: We are Christians, they are Christians. There is a lot of finger-pointing and stone throwing from not only the secular world, but from some Christians. And this is where I really get fried. Christians brag (yes, I said brag) constantly, about how Jesus can change lives. We love to shout it from the roof tops; and well we should! But it seems like we, in fact, only believe that profound truth at the surface. I mean really, if we TRULY believed Jesus changes lives, wouldn’t we be a little less quick to throw stones at Josh Duggar, today? There are those that believe he SHOULD lose his job…I’m not going there…he lost it. They believe he should still be punished 13 years after the fact. When the truth is, the statutes of limitations in most states doesn't allow for that. And in Arkansas, where this took place, the statutes of limitations has indeed ran out! But what really gets me, is that Josh was 14 years old! Maybe he wasn’t even saved yet! But we don't seem to want to accept that we could now have before us a man changed by the Blood of Jesus. He has demonstrated that he is a changed man. There have been no more incidents. He is a family man, (with a beautiful wife and three children) who worked at a Christian organization for the benefit of our society. He has proven everything there is to prove for someone who has been changed by the Blood of Jesus. But we won’t accept it. We are hypocrites. We don’t really believe God can change a child molester.

Further, we don’t even know exactly what was done. We have only heard he “touched” five girls. Some would call that “gossip”. I don’t know. It is only gossip when it goes outside the realm of truth, in my opinion. Further gossip depends on the intent of the heart. While what he did is very wrong, we really don’t know to what extent. How much is the media blowing this up because it is a Christian family? This is anyone’s with a liberal agenda dream story!! They finally have a "gotcha!!”; gossip or not.

Now, I am definitely not saying that there should be no consequences. There already have been consequences. And I am not saying that I don’t believe in justice. Of course I do!! Ironically, when a loved one of mine was killed in a car wreck due to dangerous and CARELESS driving by two individuals, people were quick to tell me I needed to forgive. I quickly tried to explain to these people each and every time, “Forgiveness does not negate justice and the desire to seek that end!” We forgive because we are commanded to in Scripture, but we must seek justice! “Justice” is what makes our society work and it is “justice” that keeps us safe. I wanted quick and appropriate justice for the two men that killed my loved one! Some people didn’t like that. Sometimes it is so easy to tell someone about the perceived log in their eye.

But this situation with Josh Duggar is clearly different. It was 13 years ago that the Duggar incident took place. The statues of limitations has run out. Josh, himself, was a child. Clearly, there is an age of accountability in Biblical precepts. Maybe Josh had reached that age when these crimes occurred; but regardless, a 14 year old does not think like an adult. And even if an “age of accountability” had been reached, that does not repudiate the fact, that clearly Josh has shown he is a changed man...changed by the Blood of Jesus.

One of the bloggers that I read, listed ten facts of which he said we all should agree. He accurately pointed out the difference between justice and forgiveness, as well as the difference between crime and sin. But this blogger, in his well-thought out analysis, neglected to mention the fact that you cannot try and convict someone for a crime that was well over a decade ago, and long past all statutes of limitations. Neither did he mention that Jesus changes who people are when we accept Him into our lives. These two stark facts left his article incomplete and partially incorrect in its message. But certainly there are consequences for every action and there have been huge consequences for this family.

Steps were taken at the time, to rectify the situation. The family did what they needed to do. Any steps taken for justice should have been done at that time. It is wrong to seek it now.

As of now, Josh has followed through with all the correct procedures; he made a public statement of apology; he stepped down from his position in the Christian ministry; he admitted he was wrong. He claimed the Blood of Jesus, long before his sin - his crime - was recently exposed! The truth is, this is in the news, because it was a Christian family to whom it happened. It is in the news because it is a family that has stood for moral issues. It is in the news because it benefits a liberal agenda. Believe me, if Josh didn’t work for the Family Research Council or any other political equivalent, this story would have gone nowhere, or at least remained in Arkansas. One of the other bloggers I read correctly pointed out the distinct difference in the reporting and the societal acceptance in this situation as opposed to a circumstance that recently occurred with a liberal actress. Anything goes, unless you are a Christian.

That is as it should be, I guess. We should live to a higher standard. But the sad thing to me is, once again, some in the Christian community are right there with the world to fling their arrows at the one who is wounded.

Now as soon as I write about a position that seems to be in support of Josh Duggar, the other shoe will drop and something more will come out. This is exactly why I hesitated to write. But this post isn’t really about Josh Duggar. It is about the hypocrisy in the Christian community in regard to whether we really believe Jesus is in the business of changing lives.

Christian, we are once again buying and promoting the liberal, left agenda, when we attack the Duggar's because 1. We won’t offer the grace we ourselves have received.  And 2. We seem to love to shoot our wounded and then we dine on the juiciest portion. Or maybe it's that we simply need to work on believing what we say we believe. The truth will eventually be exposed in any case. Justice is always served. In this case, it has been served on a liberal platter. Did we say Grace?

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” ~ Isaiah 1:18