August 07, 2014
Restoration
My back deck overlooks my neighbor’s yard and
it’s impossible to miss the potted marijuana plant they set out during the day
and take into the house at night. The six foot solid wood fence protects their
illegal activity from the passerby, but my vantage point puts me in a dilemma
of knowing what’s going on — but not knowing what to do about it. I’d like to call the police, but the reality
is that I can justify both doing nothing, and doing something. Unfortunately this
same scenario plays out in my mind when I accidently see a fellow believer nourishing
his sin. The first solution that comes to mind is to turn him over to the
spiritual police — the preacher, the elders and the deacons. However, Paul tell
us, “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should
restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted” (Gal 6:1
NIV)
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1 comment:
Gail;
-----When I was attending Mesa College (that’s what it was known as in my day,) I had a very hard working neighbor. He was in construction. He even had a small crew of four or five when needed. He was a good man, always being ready to help and curious to know if you needed help whenever your situation presented that appearance. He also sold two of the better strains of Columbian weed, or at least that portion of it he did not smoke himself.
-----My neighbor on the other side was a warmed-over hippie. He tinkered and toyed with his little mobile home, using scraps to build things others would go buy. He was quite happy that several years earlier a truck had rolled over him and broke his back, for since he was on the job at the time, he now had lifetime disability income. And plenty of weed, probably that good Columbian stuff my other neighbor was smoking and selling.
-----Well, I’ve had cousins smoke weed as productive members of society, and non-productive ones smoking it, too. I think we all would be surprised if we could put on a pair of glasses that would identify anyone smoked.
-----I’m not saying pot is harmless. It is especially problematic for young people whose brains are still developing. But once the gray matter is set, pot’s effects depends upon the individual’s mental proclivities. My warmed-over hippie neighbor was into a way of life I personally know to be twisted in manners pot, LSD, psilocybin, etc. produce. My other neighbor was into a way of life reality produced.
-----Pot served them both, one evidently to the benefit of his work, the other to the benefit of his pleasures. Unlike mescaline and crack and many other damaging drugs, marijuana rides the line between being badly damaging or just socially annoying. As such, it is a hard one to deal with. If it were more naturally damaging, it’s illegality could more easily be maintained. But too many people know it to be physically harmless (relatively speaking.) And too few people care about what is mentally and especially spiritually damaging. So the ongoing battle to legalize it has brought to Colorado this awkward state of its being legal to have and use but illegal to grow and sell without scrutiny and licensing by the same authorities who’ve screwed up pretty much every other institution of civil life. I’m less inclined to think marijuana is an issue anymore. I’m more inclined to think the user of marijuana is the issue. And that is not to mean a bad issue. Some users are good issues, and some are not. Which is your neighbor?
-----”In my vain life I have seen everything; there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evil-doing. Be not righteous overmuch, and do not make yourself overwise; why should you destroy yourself? Be not wicked overmuch, neither be a fool; why should you die before your time? It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand; for he who fears God shall come forth from them all.” (Ecc 7:15-18
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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