Too Far Gone?

 Is there any such thing as being "too far gone?" 

I have been pondering this question in recent days in light of some situations in the news and people's responses to them. My social media feed has exploded with coverage of justice being served to former USA Gymnastics doctor, Larry Nassar. I have watched the outrage from those whose souls and bodies were forever altered by the criminal acts of this sinful man. I have also seen the outcry in light of popular Youtuber Logan Paul and his recent downfall related to a video he posted that appeared to make light of suicide. In both cases, I've watched a wide spectrum of responses from those who have observed or been affected by the mistakes and sin of these two individuals, the actions of whom have impacted hundreds of people who thought they could trust them. 

 There have been those who have said, they can never forgive these men for what they've done. Particularly in the case of former Dr. Nassar, some of the victims of his actions have directly told him to his face that they hate him and can never extend him grace for what he's done. To a certain extent I understand this. It is natural to be angry when you've been violated because it strikes at the very heart of who we are. As those who have held their feelings in silence can now speak publicly about the pain they've borne, all range of emotions have flooded out. And I can say that I'm thankful this man's sin has finally been found out so that action could be taken. 

In the case of Logan Paul, I saw hundreds of comments on social media made by people who do not know him personally but were familiar with his videos. The shame and hatred exhibited by these people was in some ways shocking. While we all would agree that his actions were wrong, I sit and wonder if there's any room for grace. Some would say not. Most telling of all, I think, were his comments in the public apology video he posted shortly after the fallout. In it, he expressed his apparent remorse for his mistake and even went so far as to say that he didn't want anybody to express forgiveness toward him because he wasn't sure he would ever forgive himself. In the days that followed, his following debated on whether his apology was sincere. While we'll never fully know, it did strike me that there were some people who said he would never deserve their forgiveness and trust. He had fallen too far. 

 In both situations the response has been wide and varied in terms of what people think would equal "justice" for both men's actions. I'm certainly not saying that Logan Paul's act is anything near the scope of Dr. Nassar's, considering that physical lives were harmed in the case of the latter while the pain was more emotional and intellectual in the case of the former. But it has intrigued me to see the on-going discussion of whether or not there is any room for a change of heart. 

 When asked if there is any such thing as being "too far gone" to receive forgiveness and grace, as Christians, we would say no. But sadly, how often do we actually live as though we did have a scale on which we graded sins and their severity?! It's almost like we do hit this point, as humans, where we say that there is no longer any room for redemption. We point fingers and shake our heads as we admit that somebody has just gone too far for there to be any hope of deliverance. 

But couldn't God have said the same thing about us??? 

If we take an honest look at ourselves, we may find that, while we pray for forgiveness for our own sins, we are unwilling in some respects to pray for the same for others. To offer grace especially when it seems as though we have no reason or right to. But the Savior we claim to follow might as well have done the same to us had love not compelled Him to go further. Puritan author Thomas Fuller once rightly begged the question, 

"Why should we fear that arm of God should be too short for 

others, that could reach us?"

Perhaps this should cause us to sit back and ponder a huge what if: what if God so touched the people we have deemed "too far gone" for Him to redeem that we were startled to find them headed for Heaven? Are there some that we have written off as having too horrible a start to their story that we think the ending can never be changed? If so, haven't we set ourselves up to be God? As if we could see and judge the heart better than He...

 While we can only guess at a person's state of the soul via their words and actions, we seem to forget that. We seem to think that our perception and impression of somebody is all that matters. Fact is, though, what story does GOD see? Maybe God is doing something greater than we could ever imagine but, instead of getting in line with Him and leaving room for Him to work, we jump to conclusions and think we've got it all figured out. But the truth is, we don't. And we never will. Because we're fallible. We're fallen - just like the others. 

 Just maybe our problem has something to do with the fact that we've forgotten the depravity of our own hearts. And we hold others to the standard which we ourselves know we can never live up to. But we expect others to somehow get it better than us. We know we're not perfect. We know our own sin. But then we turn around and judge others on theirs as if they ought to know better how to behave than we do. And thus, based on that faulty judgement, we lay on the shame. We add to the guilt. And we label them as irredeemable. Too far gone. Too far fallen. How could God save them?!

 And yet, the second what if is this: what if we could see people as He sees them? Would it change how we treat and view others who have erred greatly if we saw them in pity instead of hatred? If we prayed out of compassion instead of anger? If we spoke to them out of love instead of vengeance? If we bore in mind the extent of our own sin, the depths of which we can never fully know...would we be able to forgive those we've deemed unforgivable? Would there really be such as thing as someone who is "too far gone?" 

 At Dr. Nassar's trial this week, one of the victims, Rachael Denhollander, spoke of her horrifying experiences as a gymnast under his care. She joined hundreds of other testimonies in a case that is nothing short of sickening. But, unlike those who stood up at the lectern and spoke to their victimizer's face and told him how much they forever hated what he had done and even to the point of hating him personally...forever...Rachael went a bit beyond that. Even as she expressed her deep disgust for the actions that had wrecked her life, she then turned the testimony into an invitation: she presented to Dr. Nassar the hope of the Gospel. She told him that, while she was making the choice to forgive him, she knew that he needed God's forgiveness even more than hers. She said that she prayed he would come under the full weight of his own guilt and sinfulness so that he would come to see the great need he has for a Savior. She told him he wasn't too far gone. That there was still hope for him to escape the prison of his soul, one that she said was of far bigger consequence than any prison he could be put into here. And why could this young lady speak these words of redemptive hope in such deeply raw moment? Because she kept coming back to the fact that she needed God's grace too. She used her own life as her starting point and thus, she could show pity and compassion instead of hate. What might those words of life do for Dr. Nassar? We can only pray and wonder...but does God see him as really too far gone? 

 As for Logan Paul, he has recently thrown himself into a project that allows him to sit down with suicide survivors and hear their stories. He's trying to re-write his narrative. And who knows what might come of it! Might he discover for himself a higher purpose to his life? Again, does God see him as fallen too far? 

 While we may not be in a position where we need to forgive a sin as great as that of Larry Nassar, or as public as that of Logan Paul, we all incur offenses as we travel through this life. And we observe the offenses of others from a distance as we have in the news of cases like both these men's behavior. And I get that it is natural from a human standpoint to respond in outrage at the sin they've committed. It is terrible. And it's not wrong to admit that. But where we go from there is what makes the difference. We can either stand and shake our heads in disgust, saying that its all over for these people and their story has been ruined beyond repair. Or we can humbly acknowledge that, but for the grace of God, there go we and, like Rachael Denhollander, we can plead with God to allow the ending to be a hopeful one. 

 Next time you're in a set of circumstances where another's sin offends you, think first of your own heart and what God has patiently put up with from you. After you've done that, then think of your response to the other person's failure and try to see their sin through God's eyes. It shouldn't make us condone somebody's actions, but it should make us never rule out the possibility that a sovereign God just may have a good end in mind, no matter how far short somebody has come.