Response to Sarvis' Blog Post

Michael Sarvis, who is a youth pastor at Smyrna Presbyterian Church here in Conyers, started his own blog, and his first blog was really good, so I answered back with a similarly sized post. Verbosity is good.

http://michaelsarvis.wordpress.com/2013/09/05/people/

and my response, which is probably below his, but I'll put it here anyway so I can keep track of my ramblings.  :)

A very good Christian woman once told me that the wisest thing you can learn is when *not* to say anything. I’ve seen this many times online, in the comments of Yahoo news articles and Twitter feeds, in the incessant arguments found on any given Instagram picture. Take any pop icon’s picture of themselves or whatever, scroll down a ways, and the blathering idiot fans will resort to a war of name calling, homophobic slurs, cursing that would make a sailor blush with shame, etc…

Sometimes loving someone is knowing when best *not* to get involved, when to let the people you care about fight it out for themselves, but to be there if needed. There are times in my life when I have stepped “up to the plate” for my friends, a couple of times, I have saved their lives doing it. But I know there are times when getting involved will only make things worse for them, or for me. Sometimes it’s up to God to see them “through” the fires they face . Or rather, sometimes it’s better to let God handle it, and not try to cover up all the bumps and bruises that they will face along the way. A child touches a burner for the experience, and it’s up to the parent to make it feel better afterwards, but it is impossible to keep every harm away from their children. A bee sting, a black eye, a bruise, a cut, a broken heart. Sure, we could bundle up everyone inside of bubble wrap and make everyone safe and secure, keep everyone away from danger, from failure, but then no one would learn anything.

You teach a child in the way they should go, and then hope they never stray from that path. But there’s a time when, in a parent’s life, they can no longer protect the child. The boundaries must be set at that point. If they decide to go out in front of a large crowd at an award show and dry hump a guy like a dog in heat, then there’s really nothing the parent can do. But pray, and make sure that the boundaries are set for the next child that comes along. In this case, sometimes the proper thing to say, is nothing at all. In the case of George W. Bush, when his daughters got caught for underage drinking in Texas, he didn’t use the power of the presidency to get them off the hook, but rather, he let them go through the judicial process just like any other person. Would that the judicial process work on every other celebrity. But sometimes we enjoy watching people fall from the precipice of fame time and again. This is the price for pursuing fame.

As for yourself, the journey you take in life is yours. You can take the paths you want, and the consequences, be they good or bad, will be there. A Christian person, or someone with boundaries , will find their paths with few ticks, robbers waiting in the bushes (although doubtless, they will find some clouds filled with rain… all the better to cleanse you during your walk), and those without boundaries, that take their paths, will be attacked by rabid dogs. All you can do is pray, and have God help you through the rough times. And pray for those without boundaries , that they may find them (and their clothing) again. If those that are your friends want to walk with you, that is wonderful, there will be people to talk to. If not, that’s okay… you know your destination, may you find your way to it.