This is the real story of a mother and her 2 daughters over a small thing... a lost shawl. Trouble was it wasn't just any shawl. It was a gift to the mom from her dearly beloved brother, woven out of Pashmina wool, bought all the way from Nepal. Purportedly the best quality because the wool is only available from a certain breed of mountain goats in the cold high altitudes (14,000 ft) of the Himalayas. Only the undercoat (belly down) wool is used and a single goat only produces 3 oz of this wool; it needs 3 goats to produce 1 shawl. And it has to be woven by hand-loom, because the wool is too fragile for machines. So much for a shawl.
The 2 daughters had, between them, been using it on occasion. No one knows who kept or used it last. Obviously no one saw it either. One day the mom asked for it to be returned as she was going overseas to a rather cold country. Each daughter denied any knowledge or sight of the shawl. Each dutifully searched their cupboards and of coz each vehemently maintained innocence whilst offering to buy another shawl to replace it. But the mother didn't want another shawl, indeed she had tons of other shawls in her wardrobe. The replacement offer, though rightly made, was surely misplaced as it would never have compensated for the sentimental value attached to that which was lost. As the mom read the sms-es exchanged, she felt not just anger, disappointment and hurt but a deep sadness in her heart. Not because of the loss; indeed the shawl was a small thing. But there was a bigger issue involved which seemed to have been missed in the whole affair. And that simply was 1 word which wasn't said in any of the daughters' explanations, defenses, excuses and offers of restituition. And that short word was simply - Sorry. And the mom was left wondering, how had she failed in raising her children that they didn't recognize the need to acknowledge and admit a wrong done?
I guess that's what grieves God's heart the most too. Actually I could have told the mom it's nothing new really. After all when Adam and Eve did wrong, eating of the forbidden fruit, they never said Sorry. Instead they invented the first blame-game in history. Adam sulked and told God, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." (Genesis 3:12). Classic, and that's probably why women get blamed - for everything, from not being able to produce sons to being too thin, too fat, too whatever. Well, Eve wasn't to be outdone either, she pouted and told God in the very next breath, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." (Genesis 3:13) Another classic. Blame it on anything/anyone or something/someone else. Well, at least the snake didn't make any further excuses. Man, it would have been such a comedy if it weren't such a tragedy. And like they say, that's the way the cookie rumbles...
Right through the days of Eden, down through the ages of civilization (so-called), humans haven't really changed that much, sadly. We still look for loop-holes. We continue to justify and excuse our lapses and call it 'being human' to err. We are so quick to defend our position, no matter if it's right or wrong. (Oh no, we are never wrong, it's always 'the other fella' who is wrong). We are very good in using semantics to gloss over certain tough issues in life. These are excerpts of an opening speech which was apparently made by Minister Joe Wright of the Kansas Senate
"...We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.
We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem .
We have abused power and called it politics .
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression.
We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment...."
He was talking about America, but it seems to me the description fits the current times we live in pretty accurately. So we commend each other on how 'well' the human race has 'evolved'. We have become so smart, so 'liberated'.
But the 1 word that is so essential to our soul's well-being we 'forget' and/or refuse to say. All the mom wanted to hear was Sorry. The same word God wants to hear from mankind - Sorry. Because all have sinned, big time, small time, 1 time, many times (no thanks to our first ancestors for passing on the 'sin' gene to all generations). But we would rather not face the truth of how God views us. The daughters failed to see it thru their mom's eyes. To them, it was 'just' a shawl, a small thing. But they completely missed the point; it was never about the shawl to mommy. It was about repentance, admitting ie agreeing that they had done wrong in being careless. Now that's a big deal . As much as God loves us, it's only when we choose to repent of our sin (ie agree with Him that we are indeed sinners) , then only do we get it 'right'. And then only will we recognize our need of the Savior whom God has sent into this world - Jesus Christ. If we don't, we completely miss the point and the truth of Christianity, and will just dismiss it as another 'good' religion.
Behind a small thing, there's a big deal. The story doesn't end there. The daughters duly apologised to their mom after being pointed out the error of their ways and she forgave them . She duly went overseas and there found another Pashmina shawl. She bought it without asking them to pay, for it was expensive. She had decided she would bear the loss herself, even tho it wasn't her fault. That's what Jesus did. Our sin wasn't His fault; but He paid the (very expensive) price , by dying on the cross and going to hell for it, bearing the punishment meant for us. That's love, totally unconditional. That's grace, totally undeserved. And because He did what He did, God raised Him up alive from the grave, living proof to those who choose to believe Him that the promise of freedom of an abundant on earth and eternal life in heaven is for real. That's salvation, and that's the greatest possible ending to the story of any and every human being.
"The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9
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