Forgive me Miley Cyrus

I'm sure we all have seen it or heard it by now that Miley Cyrus gave a pretty jaw dropping, mind blowing performance at the VMA's Sunday night. There was a ton of pervertedness, obscene gestures flying around, and just downright degrading things in her 10 minute spill on stage. I sat there thrown completely off guard and just couldn't believe my eyes...I was in utter shock.  As soon as the performance was over everyone was so quick to head to social media to post up jokes, comments, crude image comparisons and their thoughts on how it all went down. I will confess I was one of the millions of people that joined in. I tossed a couple, "achy breaky hearts, Hannah's left Montana, and wondered if she was still climbing or done fell off the mountain" jokes around and was also so quick to post my two cents on social media about it. I was disturbed, disgusted and appalled, but I went on to bed later than night with her and her family nevertheless so heavy on my heart and prayed for Miley...but truthfully...I was in need of prayer too.

Yesterday evening our Pastor from church shared a link to a blog on his Facebook wall that someone beautifully wrote about Miley. First couple lines into the blog stated, "I wondered: What kind of people are we? What kind of culture have we created? What do we want our children to be? No more wondering. Tonight, I weep." The blog is title entitled..."I Weep for Miley."

 If you want to read the rest of the blog go here (def a must read for all) 

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/2013/08/26/i-weep-for-miley/ 

Needless to say...I fell under conviction. I started to reflect back to a couple weeks ago when our Pastor preached an amazing sermon on a Sunday morning about judging others and expecting those outside of the redemption of Christ to live a certain way. He said that we need to be pointing people to Christ instead of pointing out the sin in others and that we need to share our struggles and share the power of the Gospel instead of talking about the struggles in others.  I was right there "amening", jotting down notes left and right, and nodding my head at every powerful and spirit led thing he said. When in all truth my actions and words in regards to Miley's performance did not follow suit. Christians...we are just as broken and messed up so why can't we just remember that? Why can't we remember that we have fallen just as short of God's glory, that we are not without sin just as the next person...as Miley. Yes, Jesus may be our Lord and Savior...we may have eternal life, and may have accepted the Gospel...but it doesn't give us this sense of entitlement that we are better than thou. Who are we to judge those who are far from God? Are we God? How can we expect the unsaved to walk around acting like the saved?

I looked back at my notes that I took that Sunday morning and I wrote this down, "I struggle with sin and those that don't know Christ also struggle with sin...the only difference is that I am not enslaved to it any longer."  People, I (we) are no better than Miley.

I am not perfect...just forgiven.

But, here I was so quick to judge Miley. So quick to curl my nose up and act disgusted and appalled.  So quick to take to social media and give my two cents in on her performance. So quick to crack a joke and poke fun at a girl who needs grace and is lost, when In all truth...I was once a Miley. I was once so lost and in desperate need of a savior's love, mercy, grace, and forgiveness. I have not arrived. I am still just a sinner saved by grace. I am sure people once curled their nose up at me. Was once disgusted by my behavior, and appalled at some of my actions. Would be so quick to judge me and point out my sin. 

But, then there were those beautiful people who didn't give up on me. People that were not quick to judge, but so quick to love. People that prayed and weeped for me. People that showed me their struggles, instead of calling out mine and then lead me to the source of truth and eternal life...Jesus. I am so ever grateful and indebted to those people that showed me grace, when I so desperately needed it.  For giving me love when I was so hard to love. For showing me mercy when I didn't deserve it. For leading me to the savior of my soul. It's those people that I want to strive to be to others. People who need Jesus the most.

So instead of laughing, mocking, cracking jokes, and making crude comments in regards to Miley's performances we should be weeping and praying for her and for our generation, future generations and our children! Let us teach them to do the same for others. Let us teach them to love as Christ has loved, to forgive as Christ has forgiven us, to be merciful, and to extend grace where grace is so desperately needed.

In John Chapter 8 it tells the powerful story of the Mary Magdalene. A woman caught in adultery who was getting ready to be stoned to death because of her sin. A woman who needed grace, forgiveness, mercy and love. Everyone was so quick to judge and was so quick to even put to death someone over sin who were in fact sinners themselves. Jesus said, "he who is without sin...cast the first stone." 

So let he who is without sin be the first to judge Miley.

We should be weeping and praying. 

Please forgive me Miley Cyrus. For I was so quick to judge you.

Blessings, 

Corey T.