Hypocrisy

Hypocrisy is the state of pretending to have beliefs, opinions, virtues, feelings, qualities, or standards that one does not actually have. Hypocrisy involves the deception of others and is thus a kind of lie (Wikipedia).

I don’t think that anyone particularly likes a hypocrite, although I think at some point in our lives we have all succumb to the temptation to indulge in judging another for something that you yourself are guilty of. At some point I think we have all paraded ourselves around like we have done no wrong when clearly we all have done wrong at some point in our lives. Why then, do we say one thing and do another? Why do we lie and then shame our friends and neighbors for it? Why do we eat and drink and then judge another in their indulgent behaviors? What is wrong with us? We lie, cheat, steel, gossip and then look to another with our nose in the air; we murder hate and covet in our hearts, but our mouths place blame and ridicule on others.

It is almost as if it is a sickness, a disease, or an active virus living inside that twist our thoughts to attack someone else’s character. It’s like a sickness that starts in one and is passed to another, attacking you from the inside out and progressively getting worse until the illness takes over leaving nothing left or true of the human character.

Are we all just sick then, and are we slowly drowning in our impending doom? Is that why we feel such an urge to drag others down, because this spreading virus within is gripping at our feet? Could it be that the only thing we can think of to keep us afloat is to grab hold of someone else that seems to be staying afloat despite this crushing disease epidemic? A raft we think. Something to save us from our misery , not a human being but a raft that we would do anything to get so we can somehow, for just a moment, be pulled from our own misery and float on someone else’s feelings.

The thing is, though, we are all drowning in this world of the sick and trying to float on another who is drowning just like you, is never going to keep your head above water. So then what do we do when the urge to criticize creeps in even though we know the consequences of our judgements sink us so low we feel as if we would never get out?

Grab on to Jesus. He says grab on, take my coat tails, my feet and my hands and I will pull you up. I will not let you drowned because I came with my life vest and I am here to save (Acts 5:30-32). He says follow me to the path that leads to everything good. He says I am your life raft, take hold because there's room for everyone. Take hold, because the wages of sin is death but through Jesus there is forgiveness and life. (Romans 6:23) Take hold because the love he has for your life is more that you can even imagine (Romans 5:8). Take hold he says, and don’t forget your neighbor sinking along side, pull him with you on the raft of life, because the path to healing is not made for one but for all. The path for life and truth is open to all who desire it. So grab on he says, follow me, I will show you the way and you will be saved.

Lauren Vopatek