Obsessing Over the Failures of Other People

Much has been made over the past couple of days about Lance Armstrong's public apology for cheating at cycling. In his moment of public disgrace, I am reminded that people spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about and even obsessing over other people's behavior and failures. As humans, we find comfort and escape in the drama and problems of other people. That's why news, reality TV, and movies are so popular. We focus on other people's issues in order to numb ourselves to our own difficulties in life. Sadly, not much is different in the Christian community in America. When Christian leaders make mistakes, our society jumps all over them. Other Christians are sometimes the most guilty perpetrators of kicking people while they're down. And this is not true simply of Christian leaders. Many people who call themselves Christians spend a lot of time and energy pointing out flaws in other Christians.

All of us who follow Jesus are called to high standards of living counter-culturally in authentic and loving community with one another. Our responses to sin and brokenness in our world should not look exactly like those in our culture who do not follow Jesus. We are set apart by God, and our community should look much different than the world's values of gossiping and obsessing over the mistakes of others. Dietrich Bonhoeffer suggest that "By sheer grace, God will not permit us to live in a dream world even for a few weeks and to abandon ourselves to those blissful experiences and exalted moods that sweep over us... Even when sin and misunderstanding burden the common life, is not the one who sins still a person with whom I stand under the word of Christ? Will not another Christian's sin be an occasion for me to ever anew to give thanks that both of us may live in the forgiving love of God in Jesus Christ? Therefore, will not the very moment of great disillusionment with my brother or sister be incomparably wholesome for me because it so thoroughly teaches me that both of us can never live by our own words and deeds, but only by that one Word and deed that really binds us together, the forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ? The bright day of Christian community dawns wherever the early morning mists of dreamy visions are lifting." - Life Together

Yes, people sin. That is not going to change in this present evil age as sin and brokenness have entered into the human condition. As followers of Jesus, we should not accept sin. We should ever be listening to God in terms of rooting sinful habits out of our lives. There are times when God might ask us to gracefully point out sin in another brother or sister in Christ. Beyond that, we should not be spending so much time pointing out other people's flaws and sins. We should not be living in an alternative reality where we lose ourselves in other people's messes while neglecting our daily mission to advance the kingdom of God. God has too much for us to do in terms of advancing his mission to redeem the world than for us to be spending so much time worrying about other people. Let's keep our focus on Christ.