The Naughty, Naughtier and Righteous

It's that time of year again where we reflect on relationships. We stroll through our mental Rolodex of family, friends, co-workers, neighbors - and we rearrange our Naughty or Nice list.

We lose sleep over who gets the awkward family holiday sweater Christmas card.

We justify the emotions we feel toward that brother or sister who ruins everything and base our holiday cheer on their existence. We meditate on how impressive a gift our spouse deserves either based on their awesomeness or our own screw-ups over the past year. Whatever the case - the more awesome they have been OR the greater the jerk you have been will equate to a larger gift in their favor.

Some of us wrestle with the needs of the rest of the world in this season - in particular the amount we'll spend on 'stuff' when others suffer, struggle and mourn. And again we attempt to discern the appropriate place of their needs vs our own, or their needs vs our children's desires...

Our holiday-relationship-meditative-discernings are often painful and wracked with tension, frustration and even guilt. Why is it so hard to enjoy this season of celebrating the First fruits of Salvation, that is, the Incarnation of Jesus?

'He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth...Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.'

We spend so much time wondering which list people will land on. We struggle, argue and lose sleep over these relationships when right before us we have an ancient Word describing the rule by which the Lord was going, did and does discern and judge the world.

Through Isaiah the Lord proclaimed this. While this passage isn't prescriptive of our own actions it does present a model of righteous thinking, of set-apart discernment, of just and pure action.

First we see that the Lord will not simply judge the world (people) by what he sees. He knows your heart and the overflow of it in your daily life. This is a key element in our decision making abilities. Dig deeper, look harder, forgive.

Next we see that he doesn't judge based solely on what he hears as we're imperfect people incapable of expressing ourselves appropriately - again He looks to the source of our being, that Spirit within us groaning for Truth and Justice and Holiness. Are you listening past the hurt and frustration?

Instead, with Righteousness He will judge the needy. With Justice He will decide fairly on behalf of the poor of the earth. Christ will discern with mercy and grace the nature of His relationship with all people and their standing before Him.

He will judge the world with the very same 'divine nature' He offers us, one that we are called to partake in.

We discern who gets a Christmas card, a text, an e-card, a gift, a smile, a hug, a visit, a phone call, a family video-update, a hand-written letter...modelled after and based upon Christs interaction with us and not our twisted-and-emotionally-flesh-driven response to their past actions, words, thoughts. No matter how long-standing the bitterness may be. No matter how true the hurt is. No matter how tempting the Naughty list is. No matter.

No matter how poor. No matter how angry. No matter how hurtful. No matter how broken and bruised and bitter. No matter how distant and cold and closed off...He made himself nothing to bring you and I into Everything...'and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers' as well (1 John 3:16).

Review your list. Revise it.
Reconcile it with Christs reconciling of you.
Redeem your actions, thoughts and words according to His standard.
Repent where you find yourself unable to forgive. Believe that He can bring about wholeness.

The Naughty list may not disappear but it can be handed over to the Lord for sifting and judging. Stroll through your Rolodex and seek an unburdened Merry Christmas.

Read Matthew 5:1-12 for a description of what criteria God judges us on. Read 2 Peter 1 to realize the call to a divine life - one based on Jesus' commands and commission.