Hi there and blessings to you. Thanks for coming to read this post today.
If you know anything about the Duggars (19 Kids and Counting) and watch their show, you have been reading quite a bit about them this week, mainly the eldest son of 19 siblings Josh Duggar.
You may have feelings, thoughts, opinions and/or judgements towards what you have been reading. If you have not heard anything or know what I am talking about, you’re not going to find out anything here.
Mainly what I am writing here are the thoughts and emotions, not judgements and opinions, I experienced over the past week in relation to what I have read.
It started with an article I stumbled on facebook, truth be told, I am not a fan of facebook, but that is a conversation for another time. I saw words like “molestation,” “cult,” “inexcusable behavior,” “cancel,” “advertisers pulled,” “apology.”
And I thought to myself what about “grace,” what about “mercy,” what about “forgiveness.”
Then these sayings and bible verses came to mind.
“They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” John 8:7 New Living Translation
This unforgiving Internet world, where people sit behind their computers and demand the right to judge a person’s life and even have say in their fate, gives me the feel of a mob waiting to stone the next sinner.
What also amazes me is how quickly people change their sides of the track. One minute you are a fan, then the minute you hear about their imperfections you demand for the show to be canceled. I have never been one to desire to be a part of the crowd. Crowds get you into trouble. It was a crowd that forced Pilot’s hand on nailing Jesus to the cross.
I want to be among those who hold out a hand of forgiveness, like what Jesus would have done. Stand in the frontlines between the sinner and the stone, and say STOP! FORGIVE!
To sum up what I feel in one word, I feel grief. I didn’t know how to fully label the feelings I was feeling until I read this article from Arabah Joy.
I felt grief that this sin took place in the first place, but as well as that feeling of grief, I felt confused and surprised- how could this have happened despite all the parents efforts to raise their children away from this kind of thinking.
I felt concerned and worried that my efforts as a parent to avoid this kind of thinking in my children, might not stand a chance against the prince of this world.
I felt sad that Josh Duggar’s whole life has unraveled into a tangled mess because of the unkind hearts who choose to release this information, which despite what some may think we are not entitled to have. Sad that he had to leave his job, and that this distracts from him fulfilling His Godly purpose in this world
I am sorry that the show may be canceled and I won’t get to enjoy watching this family glorify the Lord and family life on t.v anymore, but yet nonsense shows like ”Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” will remain on the air.
I am disappointed that people are going to use this as some kind of argument against homeschooling, and the Quiverfull and Conservative Christian lifestyle.
The Duggars choose to live their lives, as they believed God called them to live. Though much may not agree, or understand this lifestyle. I can say that they have been an example to those who wish to intentionally live their lives for God.
They never claimed to be perfect or without sin and I never expected them to be. It takes real courage to openly speak up for God in this world and then bring cameras into their unconventional home all these years and open up themselves to scrutiny, as well as people actively seeking to find their weakness to broadcast them to the world as frauds. What courage. I certainly couldn’t do it.
Josh Duggar, 12 years ago committed a horrible sin, but not unforgivable. Jesus has forgiven far worst, even when the sinner did not want His forgiveness and even when the sinner committed that sin over and over again.
Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21-22
The next time you feel like GOD can’t use you, just remember…
Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses had a stuttering problem
Gideon was afraid
Samson had long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David had an affair and was a murderer
Elijah was suicidal
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Naomi was a widow
Job went bankrupt
Peter denied Christ
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Martha worried about everything
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Timothy had an ulcer..AND
Lazarus was dead!
The Duggars have not let me down, they did exactly what I have expected them to do, what I expect every human to do-fall short of perfection.
So I have learned to lower my expectations of man and put my hope and trust in the Lord.
“I will praise the LORD while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. Do not trust in princes, In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.” Psalm 146:3
This song has been in my thoughts all week and I want to share it with you.
My HOPE IS IN YOU LORD….
Thank You for Reading.
[…] Next TGI Saturdays # […]
You have expressed my sentiments in this matter. It is not my job to judge him morally and legally I believe their will be no judgement.
I understand what you are saying and I do grieve for those poor kids…I even feel for him to grow up in fame and without guidance. Most people are upset because this family preaches against certain people when God loves everyone. These people tried to hide what he did instead of getting him and their daughters help. These people portrayed a close knit family, but in reality we fear the worst is going on behind closed doors.
This as a really good post Latisha, and I hope more people will be willing to take an attitude of grace and forgiveness towards him, as you have. Thank for sharing this.
Wonderful post. There’s nothing I could possibly add.
I appreciate so much the sensitivity in which you wrote this post; your focus always on what God’s word says and how we should respond to situations like this.
Your statement, “The Duggars have not let me down, they did exactly what I have expected them to do, what I expect every human to do-fall short of perfection. So I have learned to lower my expectations of man and put my hope and trust in the Lord.”, was so edifying and glorifying to God.
Thank you for sharing your insights.
Laisha, well said! Grace and forgiveness was extended to us, and we must do likewise. We’re neighbors today at Suzie’s #livefree Thursday
Thank you so much for sharing this post with us at Good Morning Mondays. I am with you what has happened to Grace and Forgiveness. No sin is any bigger than any other and gossip is just as bad. Thank you and blessings
Thank you for sharing your thoughtful post with us at Mommy Monday. I cannot say I feel 100% the same way as you do in regard to this thought:
“I felt sad that Josh Duggar’s whole life has unraveled into a tangled mess because of the unkind hearts who choose to release this information, which despite what some may think we are not entitled to have.”
I do not feel sad for Josh, I feel sad for his victims. I feel sad that for some awful reason he went down that path. I feel sad that his victims are reliving this experience. I feel sad that the focus has been put more on Josh than on the girls.
Sadly, I have heard people starting to drag homeschool in the mud due to Josh and his families’ dealings with the situation, which I find unfair. As a homeschooling mama I am appalled that people would link the two. However, everyone has their opinion and we’re all entitled to that.
XOXO
I just wanted to share what a comfort it was to read your perspective on Jesus’ forgiveness for us over and over again found in Matthew 18. I usually read that with the perspective of how I’m to continually offer forgiveness to anyone who has wronged me, but reading it tonight from the perspective of how God forgives me time and time again even when I keep sinning against Him broke me in a beautiful way. What an awesome God we worship! What grieves me most about the Duggar scandal is that so many in our world don’t understand the beauty of God’s mercy and forgiveness, but I have hope that God is working through this and many circumstances in the world to show His glory to a hurting world.
This is a sad situation for any family. This particular family that it has happened to is in front of the whole world via the media. We must remember, we are only hearing what the media is portraying. Abuse in any form is intolerable, this doesn’t take away the fact that all the other issues at hand are irrelevant to the problem at hand. This didn’t happen because they are Christians, Christians unfortunately fall victim to abuse too. It didn’t happen because they were homeschooled or the fact they live their lives a certain way. It happened because of sin. Your words were carefully chosen to portray your thoughts on this disturbing and unsettling misfortune of human beings. I commend you for your courage on a topic that is very sensitive to approach on any level.
[…] Moving Week Diaries (God is Worth the Wait) and Hope in a Hopeless World: Why the Josh Duggar Headlines has my Spirit Drained. […]
[…] Moving Week Diaries (God is Worth the Wait) and Hope in a Hopeless World: Why the Josh Duggar Headlines has my Spirit Drained. […]
[…] In honor of Father’s Day, Moving Day, my son’s birthday and extending forgiveness to others (see Josh Duggar post). […]
[…] In honor of Father’s Day, Moving Day, my son’s birthday and extending forgiveness to others (see Josh Duggar post). […]