Mercy Street

If you’re like me, and you generally avoid any blog posts dealing with Paris Hilton, can I ask you to try to make it through to the end of this post?

I can’t say that I’ve been following the soap opera that the Paris Hilton prison episode has become but it is difficult to avoid news of her on again, off again, on again drink driving sentence.
The story so far as I understand it is that she was sentenced, had her sentence reduced, went to prison, was released, was taken back to court, then sent back to prison.

It’s not right

When the judge announced that she would have to return to jail to complete her original sentence she was taken from the court screaming “Mom, Mom, it’s not right”.

So what’s not right? I guess it’s the fact that she’s been able to live without consequences for so long. It would seem that her parents, her friends, the media and her adoring fans have failed to let her know that we need to live within boundaries. It’s also not right that at her age she hasn’t woken up to those facts herself and started taking responsibility for her own actions.

My initial reactions are that she should be punished and that she deserves all she gets but I must say that I’m glad that I don’t get treated the way I deserve. I’m glad that people are ready to forgive me and give me another chance when I screw up.

Give me mercy

The older I get the more I see the beauty of mercy. When my natural reaction is to say, “She’s a spoiled little rich kid who deserves all she gets”, mercy says she’s a fractured person, just like me who needs healing and restoration. She might not realise that she needs that healing and restoration but that shouldn’t change my attitude toward her.

I know that a lot of people say that they’ll only offer forgiveness when someone else shows contrition. Is it right that we only offer mercy and forgiveness when the other person has recognised the error of their ways and shown remorse? I’m reminded of the example of Jesus ho was prepared to endure a violent death to offer forgiveness. Was that because we had shown remorse? No. It was while we were still his enemies that he made that sacrifice. His offer of forgiveness was not based on our actions but on his love for us.

Am I suggesting that we just let Paris, or anyone else for that matter, do whatever they like and that we should keep forgiving? Yes I am.

Am I suggesting that peoples actions shouldn’t attract consequences? Absolutely not. There are natural consequences to everything we do and there are other consequences when we step over the line and operate outside the laws of the land in which we live.

I think it is right that Paris serves her sentence but I can’t take any pleasure from her suffering. I also think it’s up to the legal system to judge her and prescribe the correct sentence. It’s not up to me. Thankfully that lets me off the hook from having to keep score of everyone else’s wrong doings. I don’t have to compare everyone else’s record against mine and complain when others behave more badly than I do.

Getting it wrong

We all make mistakes and Paris seems to have made more than most. Maybe mistake is the wrong word. I understand that we sometimes mess up unintentionally and at other times we quite willfully make the wrong choices. Either way, we need forgiveness and restoration.

How are you going with mercy? Are you only able to show mercy when someone else’s transgressions don’t exceed your own? Do you take delight in the suffering of others while still crying out for someone to help ease yours?

Posted by Rodney Olsen

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Let the healing begin

Things have been a little quiet around here lately.

There’s a lot to talk about. I’d love to tell you about the launch of the new CD for Adam Hall and the Velvet Playboys last Friday night. I want to write about my walking tour of Northbridge later on Friday night. There’s plenty to say about celebrating Emily’s birthday over the past couple of days. I’ve even got a half written post about the world’s most famous jailbird.

The silence isn’t due to lack of subject matter, it’s more about taking time out to face one of life’s tough times.

One of Pauline’s sisters was taken to hospital on Friday. She thought she had pulled a muscle. The doctors immediately admitted her. She had fluid on her lungs. After further investigation it’s been discovered that she has lung cancer. The doctors are continuing to assess her to decide what action needs to be taken.

Normal posting will resume soon, maybe even later today, but in the mean time, can I ask you to pray for Carina? Please pray that she will respond well to treatment. Please pray for her parents. Please pray for the rest of the family. Pauline also has a brother and another sister. Please pray that I can provide the support Pauline needs at such a difficult time. Please pray that the doctors will be able to take the most effective action to begin the healing process.

Posted by Rodney Olsen

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