Why don't you understand me?
I only told you 314 times...
As a follow-up to one of my latest
posts regarding the
Brokenness of Humanity in the midst the Sandusky scandal, it
is only fitting then to comment on the latest buzz.
The Freeh report is the latest installment of buzz that has
the media rooms busy and gallons of coffee being consumed as the fallout from
the scandal continues. One of the most striking statements within the
Freeh report comments on the lack of care that was given to each victim by
various key individuals.
Among many voices that were speaking when the news first
broke in November 2011 was that of
Tim Henderson, campus leader of
Penn State Cru.
He was one of the first to call out the lack of care for the victims. In
his talk to the Penn State campus, named
Love Notices Wet Hair, Tim stated:
At Penn State, we have been asking questions about obligation all week.
Who is obligated to report what to whom? Who is legallyobligated to report
sexual abuse of a child, and to whom must they report it? Who is morally
obligated to report sexual abuse of a child, and to whom must they report it?
Is there a difference between moral obligation and legal obligation? Jesus responded to the heart of that question
in his famous story about the Good Samaritan. Surprisingly though, He didn't
actually answer that question, He answered a more important one. Who is my neighbor? is the wrong question.
According to Jesus, the right question is "Am I a neighbor?" It's not
"Who must I love?" It's "Am I one who loves?"
Tim went on to say that obligation was not the issue at all, but rather LOVE was the issue. Tim was also quick to point out that although we wanted to point fingers, we as students also suffered from the same sickness of the heart.
I've heard of students questioning what this means
about the value of their degree, or the future of the football program. Really?
You're young. As I'd had conversations with many I've realized that your moral
compasses are still being built. You're still filling in the blank spaces about
what's right and wrong in different situations. But can I just poke you a
little bit? Those questions should be way down your list. If it was your little
brother, your son being raped in a shower by a 50 year old man, would those
questions even occur to you?
So we all suffer from this lack of
love. Why is it so hard? The word "love" appears 314 times in the bible, so it is not like it is
some obscure truth. It is one we hear a lot and it is one that shows a
clear disconnect. We all yearn for this "peace" in the world
that can be achieved through love, yet it seems so difficult and
to constantly evade us.
The Resurgence is
an organization that serves the church on
mission by creating tools, training believers, and connecting leaders. They
have a very active "blogosphere" and have recently posted the
provocative title "Love-Making". This piece
methodically states the double condition of the heart: the broken and sinful
side that leads to a destructive world juxtaposed with a mended and loving
heart through the Holy Spirit. In relation to the aforementioned
"disconnect", as bluntly stated by Justin Holcomb:
Love is our problem. Moreover, the
command to love doesn’t generate in us the ability to fulfill it. We can be
told over and over that we ought to love, but being told to do so doesn’t make
it possible for us to accomplish it. The command to love actually condemns us,
because we all fail.
There is, however, a hope in all
things. Justin goes on to say that we are freed from condemnation and are
thus freed to love, knowing love from He who loved us first.
The world is broken and this
brokenness is rooted in an absence of love. We are called to restore
Creation to what it once was intended, but we will always be examining and
restoring our own hearts, perhaps 314 times over.
