The Bungee Cord 5-9-22

Hello,

After hearing what I heard, I decided to take a risk on this week’s Bungee Cord. The risk that I am taking is addressing something that I heard on a political commercial, because what I wish to write, I hope, will not be seen as political in any way, but a matter of kindness verses cruelty.

I live in Pennsylvania, and apparently Dr. Oz, of TV, is running for the open Senate seat. I really don’t know anything about Dr. Oz. I have never watched one of his show, only catching a snipit or two while using the elliptical machine at the YMCA and the nearest TV was locked on him. (Couldn’t hear it, so I have no idea what it was about.) I don’t know if he is running as a Democrat or as Republican. I don’t know any of his political views or opinions, but when I play solitaire on my phone, an add from his opponent regularly comes up before the cards are dealt, and this is how the add starts out: “Dr. Oz uses his TV show to glorify transgender children…”

The reason this caught my ire is that this sentence seems to me to be very cruel, cruel to children and parents who are dealing with gender concerns. Let me confess, that I find myself confused about these things. These gender concerns were not a part of the world in which I grew up, and I claim to have far more questions than answers.

But this I do know: I know families that are struggling with gender concerns. I have heard them speak of the lostness their child feels. I have heard them tell of their feelings of guilt and despair. I have heard them recount times when their child has given up all hope and is contemplating ending their life. I have heard them call their children by their names. We are not dealing with a category named “transgender children”, we are dealing with Susan, and Paul, William and Daphne….real children who cry themselves to sleep at night, real children who dread going to school, real children who hear whispers and taunts. Tammy, Jose, Rachel, Larry.

These are kids who get kicked in the teeth every day. It seems to me to be very cruel that someone is forgetting the pain and struggle of their lives to say that “Dr Oz uses his TV show to glorify transgender children.” Now, I am not naïve enough to not believe that Dr. Oz is very motivated by ratings and viewers, so he may be guilty of exploiting their pain. Although, I hope his program helps the world see the pain and confusion that such families undergo. To say that he ”glorifies transgender children” seems to me to be a stab in the back of those children and their families that already know all too well what back-stabbling feels like.

To me, it is a sign of the brokenness of our world, that very often those who endure the ridicule of others (rightly or wrongly) are used as fodder by others. Jesus saw the same thing in his day. Lepers were shunned. People with deformities were not allowed in the temple. Women who had a reputation carried that reputation like a 10 ton anchor. As a matter of fact, one of the biggest critiques against Jesus by his foes was that he, “ate with sinners and tax collectors”.

When Jesus came into contact with those folks who were struggling in life, he did not see a representative of a category, but an individual person who was being crushed by the struggles of their life. Without exception.

If you, or someone you know finds themselves lost, confused, despairing, and unlovable, this is Jesus’ promise to you. Jesus will not kick you in the teeth and ridicule you, but rather he will embrace you with a love and mercy that nothing in the world can tether. If you need strength to get out of bed and face a cruel world, Jesus will be with you in the loving hand of a dear friend to pull you into the day. If you need a shield to ward off the insensitive and mean things people say, Jesus will step between you and those bullet shooters in the words of a wise adult or a pastor. If you look in the mirror and wonder if you are lovable, Jesus will say to you when you come to the altar, “This is my body, given for YOU. This is my blood, shed for YOU.”

The world can be very cruel, especially in these times of elections. As Ester’s uncle of the Bible said to her, the same might apply to you and me who hear cruelty blasting in deafening audibles, “Maybe you (and I) have been placed here for a time just like this.”

Have a great week.

God’s grace and peace, (ggap)

Pastor Jerry Nuernberger

Like

Comment

Share