Now Don finds a girl to be infatuated with. A girl named Molly, whom Paul knows from the past, meets Don at a cafe where they can eat for free. Living in the woods as the outdoors-y experience has its advantages with sympathetic people. They don't order any food when they come in. Food of some sort (usually what they have too much of) finds its way to their table. During the first such meal for Don, his ex-friend Paul embarrasses him in front of Molly. He tells her how Don likes the way she rides a bike. Don kicks Paul in the shins. Later Don threatens Paul with telling Danielle (who will be visiting in a few weeks) that Paul is a latent homosexual.
If no one ever stated it out loud before: heterosexual guys like to joke around with each other, calling them homosexuals. It's the common good-natured past-time amongs young men (probably the world over, but definitely in the West).
Somewhere someone might judge this as "coarse jesting," but I wonder if this is another case of one person's rules and disciplines not being anothers. All of us -- even non-Christ-followers -- probably really want to do the right thing. We want to be known as trustworthy. We want to think that we'll be self-sacrificing heroes if we come upon a fire or terrible auto accident. If we can agree on that, then we might be able to agree that all of us knows when we're doing the wrong thing. Yes, we try to delude ourselves much of the time and (yes) we can use the help of a caring friend to clarify our situation sometimes, but everyone knows what it's like to fail, feel regret, and try to improve or correct a situation.
In other words, do we really need someone else to try us and find us guilty? As much as that sinful and judgmental side of us wants to do that to other people sometimes, it's really probably not God's will for our lives. Self-appointed judgers of other people's spirituality are just that -- self-appointed. There's a sin there waiting to happen.
Now, back to the joking around about gays, fags, lesbians, and such. While we might know that it's acceptable or something that most people can mildly tolerate, those of us that participate in such activity might pause every now and then and ask ourselves (in a moment of privacy with God) if it's appropriate.
P.S. Happy Birthday to Vicci C.
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at December 19, 2006 09:07 AM