The Finger of Judgment

Pastor Brian Young

01/11/2007 - “Nothing is going to change in the Congo until you and I figure out what is wrong with the person in the mirror.”  -- Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz

British author G.K. Chesterton was once asked to contribute to a series in The London Times on the question, “What is the Problem in the Universe?” Chesterton wrote back the following simple reply…

“I am. 

Sincerely, G.K. Chesterton.”

  As with all of us, my heart was deeply saddened on New Year’s Day with the news of Broncos’ cornerback Darrent Williams, who was brutally murdered on the streets of Denver after a New Year’s Eve party. Though I am a loyal Broncos’ fan, Williams’ death saddened me well beyond the arena of sports; a successful athlete’s life is no more valuable than any other life. Yet, the nature of the crime grieves us all because it typifies the senseless devaluing of life so common in our modern age. I am saddened for the city of Denver, in the national media spotlight again for a crime of unthinkable violence.

  As I have reflected upon the tragedy, and upon my own reaction to it, I am struck by my own propensity to point the finger of judgment in so many outward directions—the laws and policies that might have allowed for such a violent act of killing; the disproportionate adoration and criticism given to athletes and entertainers in our culture; the parade of brutal violence celebrated within the news and entertainment media. Certainly, there are a host of societal ills that rise to the surface after such a tragedy.

  Yet, deeper still, I must gradually turn the finger of judgment back on myself. Increasingly, we live in an age where flippant judgments flow liberally from nothing more than a sound byte or a headline on a news website. “If only THEY would get their act together.” “If only THEY would put the right person in power.” “If only THEY would push through this legislation.” But what happened to my own stake in this and other problems? What about the apathy, the callous indifference, the snap judgments and lack of love lurking within my own heart? Certainly I must own a portion of blame.

  Such a personal realization, I believe, is essential for real change to occur. The ills of society will change, long-term, only when each of us owns his or her own frailty and flaws and humbly steps forward to make incremental change without the finger of accusation and judgment. Sitting on the fence, making cool observations, is not how slavery was abolished or how women won the right to vote. Donald Miller, in his outstanding book, Blue Like Jazz, put it well:

  “The problem is not a certain type of legislation or even a certain politician; the problem is the same that it has always been. I am the problem. I think every conscious person, every person who is awake to the functioning principles within his reality, has a moment where he stops blaming the problems in the world on group think, on humanity and authority, and starts to face himself.”